Firefly Mk2 point 5: Reckoning
by BDM
Summary: Alan Tyler and Telek 'Heros; two heroes who are ready for anything... Except each other. A joint project co-written with CII. The grande finale of the Firefly Mk2 series.
1. Do Me a Favour

**Disclaimer:** As well as Halo and Firefly, this story borrows elements from the Mass Effect series, the copyrights of which belong to Bioware and Electronic Arts. Neither CII nor myself own any of these properties; just our version of them.

**FIREFLY Mk2.5: RECKONING**

**Do Me a Favour...**

Alan Tyler had not had a full night's sleep for several days. Out in the blackness of space it was hard enough for the body to tell when it was supposed to be asleep as it was; it was like suffering a permanent case of jet-lag. That, however, wasn't the reason that Alan was finding it hard to sleep, and he found himself wishing it was.

For several days, he had been seeing the face of Kiryuu Knight over and over. He had been imprisoned in a dream world created by something from beyond the boundaries of reality, and the sight of Kiryuu, reduced to tears by an unspeakable pain, had been haunting his dreams ever since. He had seen visions of Kiryuu before him, in pain, before some indistinct horror came and dragged him into the surrounding darkness. He knew that Kiryuu was alive, but finding him seemed more impossible than before. He and the rest of the Fleet Shadow of Fury had been searching for what was surely over a month with no results. The frustration was mounting, both in himself and his crew.

He sat upright in his bunk, rubbing his temples with his claws. He saw no sense in trying to go back to sleep; once he was awake he stayed awake. He stared blankly around his cabin; he had very few possessions, so the room was rather plain. He spent a minute staring at the cryo-chamber attached to the wall, contemplating the idea of stepping into it and taking a long nap. He abandoned the idea, however, since cryo-sleep didn't stop the subject from dreaming.

After getting himself dressed, he climbed out of his cabin and headed along the metal corridor to the flight deck. Out of the windows he could immediately see a spectacular view of the Horse Head Nebula, shimmering softly with a purple light against the blackness of space. To the right the prow of the Reverence-class cruiser _Divine Journey_ could be seen. Next to it, and indeed any other vessel in the fleet, the Firefly-class transport ship _Serenity_ was positively dwarfed.

Alan was not the only person who was awake. Sat at the pilot's console was Bishop, a thin man with lanky brown hair. Of course, Alan was hardly surprised to see that Bishop was awake; he was an android, and thus didn't share the same rest or dietary requirements of the rest of the crew.

"Don't you ever sleep, Bishop?" he asked, a wry smile stretched on his reptilian face.

"I do have periods were I need to power down and conserve energy," Bishop replied. "You could call it 'sleeping'."

"You just don't need to do it so often?" Alan asked, sitting over at the co-pilot's console with his head in his hands.

"No," Bishop replied simply. He then looked over at Alan, an expression of concern crossing his face.

"This is the third night you have been awakened by a bad dream," he said.

"That obvious, was it?" Alan groaned.

"Do you want something to help you sleep?" Bishop asked.

"No," Alan said bluntly. "I dunno if it would work on me anyway." He leaned back, gazing up at the Nebula. He had only seen it through photos before, and he never thought that he would live to see it with his own eyes. Bishop remained silent, focusing on keeping the ship flying. He had learned long ago that organic life-forms didn't appreciate people prying into their business too much. There were a few moments of silence, before somebody else walked onto the flight deck.

"Hey, Professor," a Hispanic-sounding voice said from the doorway. "You got any new info on..."

The voice trailed off, and Alan turned to look right into the eyes of José Lovano, the Hispanic gunner of the crew. Both of them looked at each other, with José now looking extremely awkward.

"Uh, never mind, boss," he said quietly. "It don't matter..."

"What doesn't matter?" Alan asked, getting to his feet. "What info are you going on about?"

"None of ya god-damned business," José snapped, his familiar tones of snide defiance resurfacing.

"This is my ship, José," Alan retorted harshly, "therefore that makes it my bloody business. Now what the hell are you doing sneaking in here at the crack of dawn? What's this info you're pestering our pilot for?"

He stared daggers at José, his golden cat-like eyes narrowed and his arms folded. José, in spite of staring defiantly back, knew that he was in trouble whether he told his captain or not.

"Tell him, José," Bishop sighed wearily. "You might as well come clean now, and frankly I am getting tired of covering for you. If you don't tell him, I will."

"Somebody better fucking tell me something soon," Alan snarled. "I won't have my crew keeping secrets from me, especially if they'll get in the way of our mission." An awkward silence followed, before José let out a deep sigh.

"Alright, alright," he said, throwing up his arms in defeat. "I guess you were gonna find out sooner or later anyway, amigo." He shuffled his feet slightly, looking to Alan rather like a child who had been caught doing something naughty.

"I'm not just here on Malcho's orders, boss," José began. "Ever since we took off, I've had Bishop scouring the frequencies for any sign of a certain split-face. I've been coming up here early every day just to check if Bishop had found him. I didn't want you to know because I knew you'd never go along with what I need to do, not when your best buddies are involved."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alan snarled. "Were you sent to spy on anyone in the fleet?"

"No, nothin' like that, puto," José retorted. "Though I'd rather they weren't involved. This is between me and the shit-stain I've been hunting; I'll be damned if he gets dragged before whatever passes for a court in their lands."

"Alright, alright," Alan cut in, clearly not in the mood for another anti-Sangheili diatribe from José. The way the mercenary acted, one would think that the war was still raging. "Just get to the point. Who's this Elite you're looking for?" José paused for a moment, as if contemplating his answer.

"His name's Dorva 'Elus," he said, his face twisted as if he had swallowed something particularly bitter. "He was one of Telek 'Heros' boys after he defected. He acted as an advisor to squads of ODSTs. I didn't trust Telek or any of the other Elites, and I was right not to." He looked away from Alan for a moment, looking as if he wanted to punch the wall.

"Dorva was assigned to my unit when we went on an off-world assignment," he continued. "We got a tip that the Covenant was getting a foothold on a planet in the Exodus Cluster, and my team went with some of Telek's boys to check it out. Dorva was our main advisor, and some of his Elite soldiers went with us. My team had not been on that planet fifteen minutes before we found out we'd been had..." José was now looking extremely bitter. "The Covenant ambushed us, and Dorva and his lot turned their guns on us. The bastard had never defected; he'd sold us out. It was a massacre... I only survived by feigning death. No other humans walked away from that fight." He looked back at Alan, his breathing becoming harsher.

"I knew better than to ever trust a split-face again," he snarled. "I swore to myself that if I ever saw that Dorva bastard again, I'd put a fucking bullet in his head. So I've been getting Bishop to keep an ear open for any sign of him."

"That was years ago though," Alan said blankly. "What makes you think he's even still alive?"

"I don't know," José muttered. "All I know for sure is that I have to know one way or the other. I owe it to my squad to make sure he got what was coming to him. I didn't want you to know because you're buddy-buddy with Telek's gang, and I don't want them involved. I wanna be the one who finds the chupaverga."

Alan was silent. If what José was saying was true, then it would certainly explain his distrust of the Sangheili in the Fleet Shadow of Fury. He had to be extremely desperate to catch this Dorva if he was willing to go behind Alan's back to do it. It was clear that José had made his mind up on the matter, and if he knew someone with a mind for revenge right, then it would be very difficult to dissuade him.

"Captain," Bishop then said. "If you'll indulge me for a moment, I have information for José. Check the co-pilot's console."

Alan turned to face one of the screens on the console, where a star chart was now visible. José crossed over to him and peered over his shoulder.

"I picked up a transmission only a few minutes ago," Bishop said. "It was a written message in a peculiar dialect, but I definitely caught Dorva 'Elus' name. The transmission was intended for a recipient at the co-ordinates on your screen." Alan looked at the screen, which was now showing a large garden planet, complete with the co-ordinates underneath.

"Any idea who sent it, or who it was for?" Alan asked.

"I'm not sure, Captain," Bishop responded. "I'm not familiar with the language that was used; human colonisation has so far been very limited, and contact with other sentient life-forms has been scarce. We have not had many opportunities to learn intergalactic languages. A name seems to be mentioned right at the beginning, however; Inoste Hazra. Perhaps this is the recipient of the message."

Alan looked over at José. The message seemed to have put a great deal of fire in the mercenary's eyes, as he was peering at the screen with a look of barely-repressed triumph.

"You do realise that we can't just go chasing this lead, right?" Alan asked. "We'll have to let Cujo know where we're going."

"Oh, what the hell?" José howled, as if he had been denied a real treat. "Didn't you ever sneak out of the house as a little lizard?"

"This isn't sneaking out after curfew!" Alan half-shouted. "We're supposed to be on a mission here! I don't think the fleet would appreciate us sneaking off on what could well be a wild goose chase!"

"Alright, fine," José snarled. "Go and tell teacher about us, if it means that much to you, you god-damned boy-scout!"

Alan snarled, but he opened a communication channel to the _Divine Journey_. Fortunately for him it seemed Cujo was having a restless night too, for he answered the hailing in seconds.

"_Alan?"_ he asked. _"What is it? You look just about ready to kill."_

Alan paused for a moment, trying to calm himself down, looking between José and the screen. He had an idea in his head, but he had the feeling that he would not succeed; he wasn't feeling in a very persuasive mood.

"We need to head off on a small errand," he said. "We're heading out to these co-ordinates." He sent the information that Bishop had supplied over to Cujo. The Sangheili looked at it for a moment, before his eyes widened.

_"These co-ordinates..."_ he said slowly, as if hardly daring to believe it. _"You're heading to the planet Illium? What could you possibly want from there?"_

"It's..." Alan started, looking awkward. "It's not something we can talk about..."

"_Alan,"_ Cujo said firmly, _"I don't wish to hear excuses. You're a Shipmaster in the Fleet Shadow of Fury now, and I expect full disclosure from all in the fleet. Now tell me why you feel the need to dash off to the other side of the galaxy or I'll drag you in here with my gravity lift."_

Alan sighed. He knew that it was pointless to argue with the Acting Supreme Commander. He simply didn't see the point in hiding the truth. So, ignoring the scandalised look on José's face, he explained everything.

"José's got a lead on an Elite he's been looking for," he said. "Does the name Dorva 'Elus mean anything to you?" At this Cujo suddenly released a loud snarl, his mandibles quivering threateningly.

"_That name is mud among the fleet,"_ Cujo snarled. _"We all know what he did to the ODSTs in the Exodus Cluster. Rest assured, if we had caught up to him we would tear him limb from limb!"_

"Well, José's feeling pretty much the same way," Alan said. "We picked up a transmission that suggests that he's alive on Illium. I'm sending you the message now. We can't make sense of it; perhaps you'll have more luck." He sent the message over to Cujo, who read it twice, his brow furrowed.

"_I see what you mean..."_ he muttered. _"It looks like it was written in the language of the Salarians... It's a message for one Inoste Hazra, confirming the hiring of several mercenaries for the sake of protecting this Hazra while he helps Dorva to go into hiding. These mercenaries are a part of a group calling themselves Eclipse."_

"How can you read the Salarian language?" Alan asked, intrigued.

"_We are a widely-travelled race, Alan,"_ Cujo replied. _"The Sangheili have been in contact with other races for a long time, since long before we even heard of humanity. It makes sense that Dorva would head for a world where sapient trafficking is common, and that he'd be out in the Terminus Systems with the rest of the scum..."_

"I think you'll have to tell me all about it sometime," Alan said. "Anyway, if this Dorva really is about to go into hiding, I'll never hear the end of it if we don't look for him." He saw Cujo about to argue, but quickly cut in. "Hear me out. I need my team to be focused completely on our mission. José needs to see some closure on this matter; I can't afford to let anyone get distracted by what might have been. Besides, we're a lot less likely to spook Dorva than a full fleet of Elite ships is."

Cujo sat silent for a moment, thinking things over. He wanted to see Dorva pay for what he had done, but he knew that he had to keep focused on his search for Telek and Kiryuu. He also knew that Alan was right in that the _Serenity_ crew could pursue this lead without drawing too much attention. He sighed and shook his head, which said to Alan that he thought this was all a very bad idea.

"_Very well,"_ he said. _"You will need to move quickly and discreetly; Illium is about a week away in slip-space, and of course you'll have to be very careful not to scare Dorva away. Your best chance is to find this Hazra person; find him and I'm sure he'll lead you straight to Dorva. I'm sending you a translated copy of the message; it looks like it contains meeting instructions. What do you plan to do with Dorva when you find him?"_

"Crucify the bastard, that's what!" José called. Cujo just rolled his eyes.

"_Whatever you do, be discreet,"_ Cujo said. _"The last thing I want is to have to come and bail you out. I also suggest getting translators if they're available; a lot of races congregate in Illium's capital of Nos Astra. I'm not sure how much contact the Asari, who all but own the planet, have had with humanity, but I'm sure they'll have the technology to help you understand them. I'll give you some basic info about them as well, and any other species you might encounter; it'd help you to at least know what's trying to hurt you."_

"Got it," Alan said. "I'm glad someone had the foresight to invent universal translators."

"_By the way,"_ Cujo quickly said, _"never sign anything on Illium. It's a very competitive free-trade world, so its regulations are very lax. You might end up selling yourself as an indentured servant. Everything's legal on that planet except murder."_

"Uh... okay..." Alan muttered, really unsure of what to make of that statement. "We'll go and look into this. With any luck we can get it all resolved. Of course, knowing our luck he'll probably have left the world by the time we get there."

"_I would tell you to get straight back here if that's the case,"_ Cujo said, _"but I have the distinct impression that you plan to see this through to the end."_

"You could say that," Alan said. "I'll never hear the end of it otherwise. We'll rejoin the fleet as soon as we can."

"_If you need to find us, we'll be staying here for the next few days before heading for the Argos Rho cluster,"_ Cujo said. _"Good luck in your investigation, Alan, and I hope it meets a swift resolution."_ With that, he hung up.

"Boss..." José said. He was silent for a moment, before he mumbled a word that sounded a bit like "Thanks".

"I should think so too," Alan said, smirking. "You don't know how hard it is, having to stick my neck out for you lot." He turned to Bishop. "Right, set a slip-space course for Illium."

"Roger," Bishop replied.

0

_A month and a half prior…_

"_Telek," _began a voice into his mind. _"Telek. Wake up…"_

"Hmmm…" Telek 'Heros rolled over in his bed, pulling the pillow over his head. "Five more minutes…"

"_Your shift starts," _said the voice.

He felt a cold hand on his shoulder and he shivered. Telek pulled the cover over his shoulder. Then, he rolled onto his back and slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry and he squinted from the light just now reaching his retinas. Before him was a blue, wispy, ghostly, draconic face peering down at him. Telek grumbled, rising up onto his elbows. That face was not a face he liked waking up to. That face was Dunkelzahn.

"Who the hell made you alarm clock, Shorty?" he growled at the ghostly Great Western Dragon.

"_I figure I'd do Commander 'Canthon a nice gesture of waking you myself," _replied Dunkelzahn. _"She did seem like she had a lot of work to do today."_

"The last thing I want to see when I wake up in the mornings is Casper the Friendly Ghost Dragon with a cheery smile on his face," Telek said as he flung the covers off. He got out of the bed only to phase right through the ghostly form of Dunkelzahn. "Yaaahhh!" he yelled, feeling the cold pain of death prickle its way down his spine when he passed through the ghost. It felt like for a moment he was out in space without any protection. The cold violently woke him up. "Now, I know why Shri did it. It's like taking a cold shower of liquid nitrogen. Do you mind gettin' your ectoplasm outta my personal space?"

"_So sorry," _the ghost said, whisking away towards the other side of the room.

"I had to go on this wild goose chase finding Kiryuu Knight," Telek growled. "A chase that could land me in some penal mining colony for the rest of my life and now my ship is being haunted by a dead draconic American President who has no concept of personal space. Why me? Why couldn't I have been done with dragons?"

"_Telek, you need me," _said Dunkelzahn. _"I'm the one who can sense where Kiryuu is."_

"And you've been sucking at your job, 'navigator'!" Telek bellowed as he got dressed in his golden and copper armour. He put his helmet on and gave a good slap to his cheeks. Telek pressed a few buttons on a holopanel near a food processor and out popped a cup of coffee. Taking a sip, he turned back to the dragon. "You keep tellin' me you can feel where he is, then you lose him, then you got him again…make up your damned mind!"

"_Wherever he is, I can only get fragments of his consciousness seeping out into the ethers," _said Dunkelzahn. _"This is something you cannot understand. It's very difficult work trying to locate him, wherever he is."_

"Well, do you have him today?" Telek asked. "Because I'm growing impatient! Sanghelios is under an attack by the damned Jiralhanae and I'm not there to kick their asses. Now, you better tell me where the hell Kiryuu is, or I'm chucking that crystal of yours out the airlock."

"_Is that how you solve all of your problems?" _Dunkelzahn asked. _"Just throwing it out into space?"_

"Okay, that's it, you're gone," said Telek, making his way towards the crystal sitting on his desk. "Should have done this days ago…"

Dunkelzahn sighed and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, Telek froze in place. The door opened and Shri 'Canthon made her way into Telek's quarters. She paused, seeing her commanding officer frozen like a statue with Dunkelzahn shaking his head in dismay.

"Oh, not again!" she called. "Not again! D! Don't freeze the Supreme Commander."

"_He made the threat again," _said Dunkelzahn.

"He always makes that threat," said Shri.

"_Well, this time, he was going to do it. I've spent 500 years playing chess with King Ghidorah; I will not spend the rest of eternity out in the coldness of space."_

"Unfreeze him," said Shri. "Please, D?"

"_Very well," _said Dunkelzahn, snapping his fingers. Telek nearly fell over when he was unfrozen. Shri came out to catch him.

"I hate dragons…I really hate dragons," he said.

"I know, I know," said Shri. "Come on. We need to get to the bridge. Joli has some information that might interest you."

Telek threw his arm around Shri and she guided him out of his room. Dunkelzahn prepared to follow them, but Shri, turned around and shook her head.

"Not this time," she said. "This is something different. Something we Sangheili need to handle ourselves."

"_What happened?" _Dunkelzahn asked.

"Let's just say, it will be a rest from our long search for Kiryuu," said Shri. "Besides, I have a feeling Kiryuu isn't gonna go anywhere any time soon. We have enough time to search for him. Come on, Telek."

"Good, I can have some peace from that overgrown spook," Telek said as the door closed behind him, locking Dunkelzahn inside. Despite the dragon being a Free Spirit, he was bound by the crystal. As long as the crystal stayed in the room, Dunkelzahn was not going anywhere. This definitely gave Telek a break from the rather motherly Great Western Dragon. They made their way onto the bridge of the massive super carrier, the _Shadow of Darkness._ It was the proud flagship of the, well, half of the fleet _Shadow of Fury_. The other half was back on Sanghelios fighting the murderous Jiralhanae. He hated leaving Otto, his old teacher and friend, as well as Rtas to deal with the Brutes, but he was convinced he could bring Kiryuu and the Master Chief home. After all, if he could, he would never leave anyone behind. He cursed his own loyalty for sticking him out in the middle of bum-fucked-nowhere, looking for any hopeful sign of Kiryuu Knight and the Chief. There was nothing out there, but vacuum and darkness. And cold.

The Sangheili bridge crew stood at attention as Telek walked onto the bridge. Once more he took a sip of his coffee, a new addiction he picked up since his attempt at sobriety, and sat down on his gravity command chair.

"Well, what new thing have you found me, helmsman?" Telek asked.

"It was a signal," replied helmsman Joli. "Not Covenant, or Sangheili, or even Human. But it mentions a name. I figured you may want to know who it is before I inform the other Shipmasters."

"Alright," said Telek. "Tell me, what's the message?"

"It pertains to a Sangheili named Dorva 'Elus," said Rolu. "They are transporting him to somewhere in the Terminus Systems. That is about a month's journey from here."

"Did you say Dorva 'Elus?" Telek asked. Suddenly his eyes filled with a fiery rage and he gripped the sides of his chair tightly with his hands. His mandibles bunched up in the Sangheili equivalent of a snarl as he growled deeply.

"Does that name mean something to you?" asked Joli. Telek let his ignorance slip. Joli and Rolu were new to his command, only recently serving under him since he took control of the brand new super carrier for the fight on the Ark. However, Shri knew who he was and even she was showing the same angered scowl Telek had.

"Dorva 'Elus was a traitor!" Shri replied. "He betrayed our human allies to the Covenant dogs and then massacred them. We thought he was on our side. But he was not. Even after he knew the truth about what the Halos did, Dorva still was loyal to that self-righteous idiot Truth!"

"I wanted to kill that asshole when I found out what he did," Telek said. "I had to kiss Kiryuu Knight's metallic ass to get him to understand that I did not order Dorva to lead those ODST to their deaths like that. He took all that I worked for in trying to build a peaceful understanding between my band of separatists and the UNSC, and he threw it out the window! After that, I had to start from day one again. HICOM questioned whether or not they could trust me anymore, or even worse, whether or not they should just kill me and my fleet because of that betrayal. I had to stand trial for his actions! He disgraced me in front of Lord Hood. Dorva went into hiding after that. And I vowed if I ever saw him, I would give him what he deserves, a good impaling on my sword. But the war kept me from hunting that traitor down."

"We have a location as to where he is," said Joli. "Well, it is a rough location."

"Good enough," said Telek. "Well, that's it. I'm going after Dorva. We'll put this search on hold for now. It's not every day I get the chance to execute a traitor. I am going to enjoy every minute of it." He pressed a button and pulled the screens for the shipmasters of the other ships of his fleet.

"Cujo, Mitsu, Tulsa, Wago…and Tom," he began.

"_Right here, Excellency,"_ said Mitsu.

"_Always ready to serve, Excellency,"_ said Wago. He was such a kiss-ass.

"_Ready, Skipper,"_ said Tom.

"_Ready, Excellency,"_ said Tulsa.

"_Good that you're awake, finally,"_ said Cujo. _"Stayed up too late last night again?"_

"My new roommate is a pain in the ass!" growled Telek.

"_Well, don't send him over here,"_ said Cujo. _"I already had to deal with him once. Thank God I was able to relieve him to Kiryuu when I had the chance."_

"Can't wait till that day comes for me," said Telek. "But right now, I feel like I need to take a hiatus."

"_Excuse me?" _Cujo asked. _"Hiatus? Okay, why? We're looking for Kiryuu, here, and you're thinking about a vacation?"_

"Yep," said Telek. "And don't follow me either. I want you to keep up the search for Kiryuu."

"_No," _said Cujo. _"No, absolutely not! Not this again. You're not skipping out on us again! Why, why are you doing this?"_

"There's a bit of business I need to take care of and I need to take care of it alone," said Telek. "I don't want to risk any of you getting caught or put into unnecessary danger. I need to do this alone, discretely."

"_But, Telek!" _called Tom. _"We need you here to command the fleet."_

"Nah, Cujo's a good enough commander," said Telek. "He can fill while I'm gone."

"_But what about me, Excellency?"_ asked Wago. _"My ship is bigger…I should be put in charge, not Cujo."_

"_No body likes you, Wago," _said Mitsu. _"Shut up!"_

"Well, you tried to kill me once, Wago," said Telek. "So, I still don't trust you. And your ship doesn't cloak."

Wago lowered his head in defeat. Telek just laughed.

"God, I love that pathetic expression," he said. "He acts like I whip him."

"_But my ship carried a Prophet Hierarch…." _Wago said.

"_Boo!" _called Tulsa. _"All the more reason why you stay at the bottom of the food chain, Wago."_

"Okay, that's enough," said Telek, holding up a hand to his Shipmasters. "Look, all of you, Cujo's temporary Supreme Commander while I'm gone. You take orders from him, just like last time when I left."

"_Don't go, Telek," _protested Cujo. _"Please. Not this time, not again. The last thing we need is to have one of our heavy hitting ships gone. We're all criminals again, deserters at Sanghelios' time of need. What if we're discovered by a Sangheili ship—or even worse, a Jiralhanae ship?"_

"You all know what to do," said Telek. "We've done it time and time again when we run into problems with the Covenant. But in Wago's case, hide him somewhere or, Wago, just jump—I don't care where—the rest of you cloak and get out of there as fast as you can. Set a rendezvous point and meet back there when you feel it's safe. I need to handle this on my own. Okay?"

"_There's no arguing with you, is there?" _Cujo asked.

"You know it," said Telek. "I'll be back as soon as I can and I'll drop a line when I'm done."

Just as he was about to click the screen off, Shri touched his hand.

"Wait," she said. "Cujo, tell Dovi to behave himself, will you?"

"_I will,"_ said Cujo. _"He'll be pissed to find you gone again. You know how he worries."_

"I know," said Shri.

Just as soon as all of their faces disappeared from Telek's holoscreen, he turned back to his helmsmen.

"Okay, random vectors so we can scrub this tub of bots," he ordered. "Then, make your way to the Terminus Systems. We'll only get one chance at this."

"Yes, Excellency," said Joli.

Telek leaned back in his chair and sighed. He knew Dunkelzahn was not going to like this little detour off the beaten path at finding Kiryuu, but he had to handle this first. Besides, he left his other ships in a good spot, an area where Dunkelzahn felt Kiryuu's vibrations the strongest. He knew that they may have some luck in finding the giant mecha while he was out looking for the traitor. At least, that was what he hoped. He wanted Dorva, and he wanted Dorva dead. But he wanted to be the one to slice Dorva in half.

"Telek, are we doing the right thing?" the Spec Ops Commander asked. "Leaving the others behind like this, not telling them about Dorva?"

"We are," said Telek. "I know they would want to get their hands on the traitor too. And a whole group of ships jumping into the area would cause a bit of a ruckus. Dorva might flee the area before we're able to get a hold of him. Go back to my room and tell Dunkelzahn what we're doing. He won't like it, but he'll have to just sit and spin in his little jar while we're looking for the traitor."

"Yes, Excellency," she said. Shri turned around and walked away, heading out of the bridge. Telek faced the screen just as his ship made its blind jump into slipspace. He knew one way or another, he was going to bring Dorva to justice for his crimes.


	2. Needles in Haystacks

**Needles in Haystacks**

The planet Illium was located in the Tasale system of the Crescent Nebula, right on the border of the lawless Terminus Systems. It was a place that was still untouched by exploration parties from Earth; in spite of human colonisation and terraforming efforts prior to the war, the lack of slip-space technology meant that they had not been able to explore far beyond the Local Cluster. As a result, communication with other denizens of the galaxy had been rare, and the learning of alien languages had been stunted somewhat. That proved to be a problem for Bishop as the _Serenity_ entered Illium's atmosphere, after a week's flight in slip-space, and tried to confirm with the ground control in the capital city of Nos Astra that he required a place to land.

"No, please, listen to me," he was saying into the communicator as the _Serenity_ sped through a golden sunset sky. "Is there anyone among your people who has studied the languages of the human race?" He was sounding uncharacteristically frustrated, as a female voice on the other end spoke in a language that seemed to flow like water.

"Take it easy, Bish," the gargoyle First Mate Alistair said. "Don't blow a gasket." Bishop frowned heavily, and returned his concentration to his flying. He held the control column with a very hard grip and stared stonily out of the window.

"I guess they build you guys to resemble humans too well," Alan said. He knew that he would be frustrated if he was in Bishop's shoes, android or not; while he could pick up new languages fairly quickly, he doubted there were many study aids available for alien languages. After a minute the female voice returned, but thankfully for Alan this one was in English.

"_This is tower control at Nos Astra spaceport,"_ the voice said in an over-polite manner. _"Can I help you in any way?"_

"This is the transport ship _Serenity_," Bishop promptly replied. "We're seeking permission to dock in the spaceport."

"_May I ask what the purpose of your visit is?"_ the traffic controller asked.

"We're en route to the Terminus Systems," Bishop promptly replied. He had rehearsed their cover story well. "We're just making a pit stop for supplies and fuel, and perhaps do some sight-seeing." There was silence on the other end for half a minute, and Alan started to get nervous. The planets he had explored so far were either very technologically limited or full of beings that wanted the crew dead. After what he assumed to be some discussion, the traffic controller spoke again.

"_Permission granted, Serenity,"_ she said. _"We will ready a landing platform for you. Please follow the flight path we are sending you now."_

"Thank you," Bishop replied. Thankfully, according to the ship's scanners, the atmosphere on Illium was Earth-like and breathable, which removed the necessity for any respirators or airlocks.

"Well, we're past the first hurdle," Alan breathed. "Let's hope it was the hardest."

Moments later, the city of Nos Astra came into view. It was a magnificent sight, with the sleek skyscrapers reaching up to the evening sky and small craft darting this way and that amidst the buildings. The city was full of lights, and hundreds of people could be seen milling around on the various catwalks. Every surface was gleaming and smooth. Next to the buildings and the sleek ships already docked in the spaceport, the _Serenity_ looked positively scruffy. In fact, when Rachel Tam, the ship's engineer, came up onto the flight deck to see their entry for herself, she took one look at the city and muttered "Show-offs".

The spaceport was located right near the heart of the city, and the _Serenity_ was soon landing on a small platform suspended hundreds of meters above the planet's surface. The ramp into the cargo bay lowered and all five members of the crew stepped out. Coming towards them along the walkway was a group of what looked like five tall women. All of them had blue skin in various shades, some of them had odd markings around their faces like tattoos, and instead of hair on their heads they had wavy folds of sculpted skin. In spite of these visual differences they looked surprisingly human-like. The one in the front of the group was wearing an elegant dress of green and white and was carrying what looked like a metal shoebox, while the rest were wearing black skin-tight body armour and were carrying assault rifles.

"I take it these are the Asari?" Alan muttered to Bishop, who was examining his commlink.

"Yes, they are," Bishop replied.

"My God..." José muttered, his eyes almost popping out of his head. Even Rachel seemed rather taken with the Asari. The one in the dress approached the crew.

"Welcome to Nos Astra," she said politely, giving a small bow. "I am the spaceport's customs official. Before you enter the city, there are just a few formalities to attend to." She opened the box, which turned out to contain several small ear-pieces like hearing aids. "These are translators. Please take one each and put them on now. Any spoken language will now be automatically translated for you."

The crew did so, each taking a piece and inserting them into their right ears.

"Beats sticking a fish in your ear," Alan said, smirking. When he received a lot of blank looks in return, he turned back to the emissary. "It seems some of you speak our languages though."

"The Asari have been observing the human race for a long time," the Asari replied. "We have been watching as they have taken their first tentative steps out into the galactic community at large. We have observed and studied, and some of us, like myself, have taken the time to learn your languages, seeing the potential in the peoples of Earth."

"Our potential?" Alan said. "If you've been watching us, you'd know we almost got our arses kicked by the Covenant."

"The war has not gone unnoticed by the peoples in Citadel space," the Asari replied. "They claimed that in the interests of galactic stability they could not interfere. The Covenant comes from deep in the Terminus Systems; the Citadel could not intervene without the risk of uniting all in the Terminus Systems behind a common enemy. They would not have survived such a war, especially not with the might of the Covenant on their side."

"Better us than them, eh?" José muttered bitterly.

"I'm sorry if the stance of my people offended you," the Asari said, "but humanity's actions in the war have not gone unnoticed. If rumours are to be believed, then the courage, valour and military might of the humans have caught the Council's attention. First contact between the Council and the humans will be made sooner than anticipated, but it will still not be for some time; the human race needs time to rebuild first."

"So where does Illium fit into all this?" Alan asked.

"We exist outside of Citadel space," the Asari replied. "They have no say in our trade and customs regulations. The planet is colonised by Asari corporate interests, and we are remaining competitive with the Terminus Systems. Whatever supplies your ship needs, you are guaranteed to find them in Nos Astra."

"Will the ship be alright here while we go explore?" Alan asked.

"Yes," the Asari nodded. "Our security forces monitor the station around the clock. How long do you plan to stay on Illium?"

"Shouldn't be any longer than an overnight stay," Alan replied.

"I see," the Asari said. "I can recommend some excellent hotels should you require accommodation." She then gave another bow, and stepped aside to allow the crew to pass. "Thank you, and enjoy your stay in Nos Astra." The crew walked past her, through a very clean corridor and out onto a large balcony overlooking the city.

"That's strange..." Alistair muttered. "They didn't ask for our guns."

"She did say their customs laws are very relaxed," Bishop said, still peering at the information Cujo had supplied. "I also suspect the reputation of the Asari for their biotic abilities and the capabilities of their commandos are powerful deterrents."

"Biotic abilities?" Alan asked.

"According to this," Bishop said, "biotics are almost like magic spells back on Earth. The Asari are well-versed in their ability to manipulate matter. I would advise not to attract too much attention while we're here."

"Let's just hope the people we're looking for are discreet then," Alan said, groaning slightly. He couldn't help imagining what kind of surveillance systems were in operation on the planet, and he started trying to think of what could be done about them. He didn't fancy having a squad of Asari commandos interfering in their grim business.

They spent little over an hour just wandering around the tall skyscraper they had landed at, which also doubled as a central commercial building. A variety of small stalls could be seen, selling everything from weapons to pharmaceuticals, odd little souvenirs and even cybernetic implants. Now that Alan thought about it, he realised that he would have to have been crazy to think that there were not other species in the galaxy who knew of universal concepts such as trade and communication. He now saw more than ever just how small humanity was in the grander scheme of things. It also gave him a bad feeling that life in the rest of the galaxy had continued pretty much uninterrupted while humans were fighting and dying in a war which nearly resulted in their extermination.

Bishop couldn't resist pointing out all the different alien races congregated in the building. Cujo hadn't supplied much information, but he did give enough to let them recognise the differing species by sight. As well as the Asari, there were tall aliens with spindly limbs and cruel-looking faces called Turians, aliens with grey skin and large eyes which turned out to be Salarians, and hunchbacked creatures resembling tortoises called Krogans. Some of the aliens wandered about in environmental suits, apparently unable to survive in the planet's atmosphere. The suits belonging to the Volus were very short and dumpy, their speech punctuated by heavy breathing, while those belonging to the Quarians were sleek and surprisingly elegant. The crew, in-particular José and Rachel, received a lot of odd looks, and some aliens gave excited whispers to their neighbours. José himself kept peering restlessly into every face, as if expecting to see Dorva among them, but there were no Sangheili to be seen anywhere.

As the light from the afternoon sun faded, and while the crew were walking near some market stalls close to what looked like a number of parked cars without wheels, José's impatience got the better of him, and he glared at the rest of the crew.

"Alright, tour's over," he snarled. "When are we gonna do what we came here to do? I've waited too long to have a shot at Dorva; he's probably already off-world by now!"

"Alright, alright," Alan muttered. "Bishop, any clues in that message?"

"Let me see..." Bishop said, bringing up the translated letter on his commlink. "Yes... Apparently Hazra has contacts in the shipping warehouse... Yes, here it is... Storage Block AA23. The Eclipse mercenaries were supposed to meet them there before heading to a secret rendezvous."

"Let's start knocking on some doors then," Alan said.

"The big question is," Alistair said wryly, "how do we get there? There's no point using _Serenity_ just for this; she might get shot down by those mercs, for one thing."

"Surely there's a bus route or something?" Alan shrugged. "Would you kindly go and ask someone?"

"I suppose I could, Captain," Alistair replied, "but I dunno what good it'd do." He walked off and approached an Asari shopkeeper. The others milled around the apparent car park while they were waiting. Rachel then caught sight of a Krogan, reciting what sounded oddly like poetry in a deep, guttural voice to an Asari, who held her head in a hand and somehow looked both embarrassed and flattered. Rachel leaned in closer to listen:

"Blue Rose of Illium, leave eternity unembraced and grapple in the glorious struggle that is us, here and now! I am speechless, not with blood rage, but with love, and I stand here, humble and mute, to offer you a home. Come to me, Blue Rose of Illium. Let our three hearts beat as two."

José had to go over and pull Rachel away at this; she was having such a strong fit of the giggles that it was a miracle that the Krogan didn't hear her. They walked back over to where Alan and Bishop were waiting. Alan noticed Rachel's broad grin and raised his eyebrows.

"What's got you laughing?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," Rachel said, still trying not to snicker. "I just didn't expect aliens to be poets."

"I dunno," Alan said, smirking. "I've had my suspicions about Wago for a while. He's always struck me as a bit of a dandy."

"Oh, come on!" Rachel exclaimed, slapping Alan's shoulder. "I think it's sweet when a guy shows he's not all macho! Even if he's a completely lousy poet, it's the thought that counts!" Alan noticed that José was looking at her, his brow furrowed, as if determined to retain this piece of vital information. It was then that Alistair arrived, pushing all thoughts of poetry out of everyone's minds.

"Right, here's how it works," the gargoyle said. "We're standing in the middle of a taxi rank. We just sit ourselves down in one and tell it where we want it to go. It's voice-activated. We can pay the right credits through our commlinks. So shall we go?"

"No time like the present," said Alan. The group headed to a small red hovercar taxi. José and Alistair climbed into the front seats, but Alan stopped for a moment to address Rachel and Bishop.

"I don't know what we'll be facing when we reach Hazra," he said. "I want you guys to stay here and hold the fort. Get _Serenity_ prepped if you think we need it. We'll signal if we need you."

"Roger, Captain," Bishop nodded.

"Aye-aye, sir," Rachel chimed in, though she sounded a bit disappointed that she would miss out on the action.

Alan climbed in after the others and closed the door. As Bishop and Rachel walked back towards the market, Alistair spoke clearly to no-one in-particular.

"Storage Block AA23," he said.

With a lurch, the taxi took off from the platform and immediately began sailing through the air between the towering skyscrapers. Hundreds of other vehicles were floating around them, organising themselves into neat lanes at various levels. Alan looked around him, with the night-time scenery of bright lights and headlamps reminding him of his Shadowrunning days.

0

"I am not having this argument with you today," Telek sighed as he made his way to the bridge. Dunkelzahn floated swiftly behind him, trying to keep up.

"_It has been a month, you have not found this Dorva 'Elus person," _said Dunkelzahn. _"We are better off trying to find Kiryuu and the Master Chief."_

"We'll find Kiryuu later," said Telek. As he walked passed the large holotable on the bridge, he got up onto his command chair and looked out over the bridge crew. "Alright, you got any info on Dorva's position? What chatter have we been listening to today?"

"Excellency," began Rolu. "I've picked up some new chatter on a trade route frequency heading for Illium. They said that it has been reported that a human cargo ship landed in Nos Astra only a few minutes ago."

"Human ship?" asked Telek. "What are the humans doing all the way out here? Did they get lost? Illium isn't a planet they even have heard about yet."

"Should we go and find out, Excellency?" asked Joli.

"I wouldn't be a good Samaritan if we didn't," said Telek. "Set a course to Illium and for Nos Astra. I want to know why there are humans all the way out here and to point them back in the right direction for Earth. Can't have a bunch of stranded humans out in dangerous parts of the galaxy."

"Yes, Excellency," said Joli.

Telek settled back just as the ship made its jump into slipspace. The trip itself was nearly instantaneous, thanks to the tune-up that Swifter-Than-Most gave to the slipspace drives. Telek always wanted to see just how fast he could push his new ship.

Dunkelzahn settled himself in a cloud of frosty mist around the command chair. He glanced back to see Shri 'Canthon come in from behind him, stepping over the wispy trails of the ghostly phantom dragon's tail. She shivered just as she felt some of the mist come up to caress her sides. Not even her own suit and armour could protect her from the chill of death emanating from the Free Spirit.

"Is it me, or is it cold in here?" she asked.

"It's him," said Telek, pointing back at Dunkelzahn.

"_Sorry," _said Dunkelzahn.

Telek watched just as the planet of Illium came into view on the main screen in the forward section of the bridge. He leaned over and scratched his chin as Joli brought the ship in closer to the planet. Then, a signal flashed on the screen.

"It's Nos Astra," said Rolu. "They're hailing us."

"On screen," said Telek.

"_Welcome to Illium," _began an Asari who appeared on a section in the corner of the screen.

"Thank you," said Telek. "I am Shipmaster, er, Eli 'Whitnee of the super carrier _Challenging Faith_.I am in urgent need of docking facilities. My ship is about out of fuel and supplies are running low. I hope Nos Astra does not mind a super carrier docking for a few hours to fill up."

"_Your ship maybe a bit too massive for full docking," _said the Asari. _"But you may bring down transports to gather supplies, Shipmaster."_

"Thank you, I have Phantoms ready for just that," said Telek.

"_Your Phantoms may proceed to docking bay 5," _she said. _"And enjoy your stay at Nos Astra."_

Her image clicked off and Telek turned to Shri and Dunkelzahn, with a smug smile.

"Eli 'Whitnee?" asked Shri. "Besides the fact we don't use the double 'e' suffix anymore—but Eli Whitney? The inventor of the human cotton gin?"

"What?" Telek asked. "Good cover-up. I don't want anyone knowing I'm here at least, not publically. If Dorva is down there, he hears I'm here; he'll start running again. I'm tired of chasing after him."

"_What if he's not down there?"_ asked Dunkelzahn.

"Rolu?" asked Telek.

"Eclipse is," said Rolu. "From what I've managed to pick up from the chatter, they were responsible for helping Dorva move around from system to system. If anyone knows where this traitor is, it would be them."

"Twiddle Dumb, you're almost as good as Tekn used to be," Telek chuckled. "Nice work."

"Thank you, Excellency," the red-armoured Sangheili dipped his head.

Telek got up and turned back to Shri: "Okay, Commander, you got the com. Keep Dunkelzahn with you and I'll be right back. I'm going down in a Phantom to Nos Astra and find those humans."

"No way," said Shri. "You're not leaving without me. You know regulations; Zealots must be accompanied by a platoon at all times."

"Damn it, Shri," said Telek. "We're outcasts, regulations don't matter anymore."

"I'm not letting you go down there by yourself," said Shri. "Besides, if you come in contact with Eclipse, what then? You're not exactly as young as you used to be."

"Oh, thanks, mom," Telek huffed, crossing his arms. "Why don't you tell me I need to take a nap while you're at it?"

Dunkelzahn snickered.

"You shut up!" Telek barked.

"I just don't want anything to happen to my commanding officer," said Shri. "I have a lance of Spec Ops Sangheili, we can go down there and find what information we can get. Besides if we all look, it'll be a lot quicker."

"Fine," said Telek. He pressed a gloved finger on the holographic consol on his chair. "Chief Surgeon Erin 'Venam, report to the bridge, please."

"_Aye, aye, Excellency,"_ said Erin. A few minutes later, the gold zealot surgeon came through the double doors of the bridge and approached Telek. "What's up?"

"Erin, you have command of the bridge, since you are next in line for command," said Telek.

"What?" Erin asked. "Wait, I'm a doctor, not a bridge officer. And certainly, not a Shipmaster."

"Well this is what happens when Shri decides to tag along with me down to Nos Astra," said Telek. "Besides, it isn't that hard, just sit in the chair, and twiddle your fingers, and let those two fly the ship." He pointed at Joli and Rolu. "Easy as pie."

Erin hesitantly climbed into the chair; the colour of his skin began to fade away.

"Everyone, until I return, Erin is Shipmaster, got it?" Telek asked.

"Yes, Excellency," chimed the bridge crew.

"My god," Erin began. "There's more buttons on this chair than I know what to do with! I hardly even know what half these damned buttons do."

"Just make sure you don't touch the one that self-destructs the ship, okay, Doc?" asked Telek.

"Oh, which one is that?" Erin asked, looking around the arms of the chair. "So I won't accidently push it…"

Telek chuckled and turned away, leaving the bridge. Erin continued to call back to him.

"Wait, Telek!"

"Oh, and take care of Dunkelzahn," said Shri. "D, behave for Erin."

"_I will, good luck," _said the Western Dragon as the doors closed. He looked back at Erin who was shifting his eyes between one panel and the other panel on the arms of the chair. _"What's the matter, Doctor? Haven't you ever commanded a ship before?"_

"I've been trained by the academy on how to do it," said Erin. "Just in case the Shipmaster was incapacitated, and there was no one else 'brave' enough to take charge. But that was years ago. And I'm sure those manuals that I read are out of date, especially for a ship as new as this." He pressed his index fingers together, trying to figure out some way to relax himself. "Oh, hey, any of you want to hear a medical joke? I got plenty! Um—a famous surgeon went on a safari in Yermo. When he came back, his colleagues asked him how it had been. 'Oh, it was very disappointing,' he said. 'I didn't kill a thing. I'd have been better off staying here in the hospital.' Hah! Hah…"

No one except for Dunkelzahn was laughing. The bridge crew turned back to their work. Erin shrank down into the seat.

"I totally forgot," he murmured. "Sangheili don't like doctors—or jokes."

"_I thought it was a funny joke," _said Dunkelzahn.

"At least someone does," sighed the Zealot.

0

Nos Astra was a well-lit, clean spaceport city, filled with merchants of various species. However, Telek did not see any of his own roaming around here. Just as well, he would hate to have to get into a fight and be kicked out of the city for doing so. For now, he was just on a peaceful mission. Shri, Ysoa, and a few other Spec Ops Sangheili glanced around the bustling populace of Nos Astra.

"See anything that stands out?" asked Telek. "Like humans?"

"Nope," said Shri.

"Okay," Telek said. "Ysoa, you take your platoon and start hunting in that section, Shri and I will look round here. Keep your commlink channel open and let me know if you see something. We'll do the same."

"Right," said Ysoa. "Watch your back." He turned to his other warriors. "Let's go."

Telek watched as the black armoured and dark blue armoured warriors walked away, weaving their way through the crowd. He and Shri 'Canthon began to make their way to the right, looking around for any signs of humans or possibly Eclipse. He knew in this crowd he would at least be able to find humans because humans were rare at Nos Astra. Though finding the humans would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

After little over an hour of wandering, by which time the sun had set, he spotted them. Two of them, a man and a woman, were now walking back up the walkway from the taxi rank; a taxi was just leaving the platform. The woman was dressed in a boiler suit and had long brown hair, while the man's own hair was rather lanky and he had a rather prominent nose and chin. The smiling woman was rather distracted by the sight of a Krogan a short distance away, who was reciting another spectacular example of bad poetry to an embarrassed-looking Asari. As such she didn't spot Telek or Shri as she approached them. The man did see them, however, and his face betrayed only the slightest hint of surprise.

"Watch where you walk, Rachel!" he called.

"Uh?" the woman known as Rachel grunted, not really paying attention. She was now only a couple of feet away from Telek, and the Sangheili opened his mouth to say something. The words didn't come out though, for at that moment Rachel walked straight into him. She bumped into him and fell backwards onto the walkway, sitting there with a rather flustered expression.

"Oh!" she gasped. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't..."

Telek picked her up and set her back on her feet. He released a chuckle at her and crossed his arms. When the woman turned around, she was shocked to find him standing there with a large grin on his face.

"No harm done, darlin'," Telek said. "Really. But next time, maybe you should grow a pair of eyes on the back of your head. Just in case."

Shri slammed her palm against her head. The woman seemed even more shocked now when she heard his East Tennessean accent. It just seemed so out of place for a Sangheili. And he was tall, taller than any other Sangheili she had seen, it seemed.

"You alright?" Telek asked. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Uh..." Rachel stammered, still slightly intimidated by Telek's size. "Uh, no, I... I mean, that is to say, I..." She looked down at her overalls and dusted herself off, looking rather red in the face.

"Rachel," the man said reproachfully as he approached the little group, "is this going to happen every time someone starts reciting poetry in earshot?"

Rachel said nothing, but continued to look flustered. She seemed to be trying her hardest to avoid meeting anyone's eye. The man looked over at Telek and Shri and seemed to regard them carefully.

"You'll have to excuse my friend here," he said. "This is our first time on Nos Astra." He quickly glanced in the direction of the lovesick Krogan. "Certainly our first exposure to Krogan poetry."

"I have never been a fan of it myself," Telek said. "However, whatever it takes to woo a lovely lady."

Rachel flushed even brighter red. Telek turned to Shri and nodded. He looked back at the humans.

"You humans seem a bit far out of your usual romping grounds," he began. "Did y'all get lost?"

"Um, no," said Rachel. "We didn't."

"What y'all doin' here, then?" Telek asked. "Vacation?"

Rachel looked back at Bishop and then back to Telek. Just how did this Elite manage get such an accent?

"I'm so sorry," said Telek. "I did not mean to pry without formally introducing myself. I am retired Vice-Admiral Telek 'Heros…now just the Supreme Commander of the Fleet Shadow of Fury. This is my Spec Ops Commander Shri 'Canthon. Now, may I ask your names?"

A look of complete shock passed over Rachel's face. Did he say what she thought he had just said? This was _the_ Telek 'Heros? She tried to speak, but her words just couldn't seem to come out. Her mouth flapped open and closed like a goldfish. Bishop sighed and stepped in.

"My model designation – my name, if you want to think of it like that - is Bishop," he said calmly. "I serve as the pilot of the Firefly-class transport ship, _Serenity_. This is our engineer, Rachel Tam." He indicated Rachel, who still seemed completely stunned. "The rest of the crew, including our Captain, is elsewhere in the city-"

"We've been looking all over for you!" Rachel suddenly said quickly, her words seeming to cascade out of her mouth before she could stop them. "We've spent a month looking at every speck of dust in the Black! To run into you here of all places...!" She trailed off again, her eyes almost bugging out of her head, hardly daring to believe their luck.

"Yes, I should probably explain," Bishop said, shaking his head slightly. "_Serenity_ is a recent addition to the Fleet Shadow of Fury. We have been flying under the command of Cujo 'Mentatal for the past month." He looked over at Shri, with a curious expression. "'Canthon... Would you be related to Dovi 'Canthon, by any chance?"

Shri chuckled: "He's my baby brother. Oh, I bet he's worried sick about me though. We've been gone a while."

"Well, I must say, this is a coincidence," said Telek. "Might I ask why you decided to join my fleet? I don't seem to recall having a cargo ship on the roster."

"Well, they did just join after you decided we needed that hiatus," said Shri.

"Hey, I have my reasons!" Telek said.

Shri shook her head and sighed, rolling her eyes at him.

"Can we ask why you decided to leave your fleet?" Rachel asked.

Telek chuckled.

"Perhaps I should buy y'all a drink," he said. "You look like y'all need one."

He led the way back to the main shopping plaza, up a flight of steps and through a door. News reports could be heard constantly, mentioning dozens of other worlds that the _Serenity_ crew had never heard of, such as Omega, Feros and Virmire, though it was hard to hear anything specific above the chatter and bartering.

The group set foot into what looked like a nightclub, with various alien peoples sat around enjoying a drink and the techno music. Rachel found it hard to believe just how human these aliens seemed to her. Over at one table she saw a Salarian, a Turian and a Quarian sat at a table ogling an Asari table-dancer, her exotic moves attracting glances from both the men and the women present. The Salarian fidgeted and mumbled nervously, prompting the Turian to clap him on the shoulder and say something that sounded like "You're gonna enjoy your stag night if it kills us".

Telek led the way to the long bar against the back wall. He treated them all to a round of a glowing blue liquid. Rachel took a sip and her expression brightened; it was a pleasantly cool drink that seemed to massage every nerve cell in her body. Bishop, of course, didn't taste the drink in the same way, and set his glass down as casually as if he'd sipped water.

"Do you wanna tell our story or should I?" Rachel said.

"Allow me," Bishop said. "You just enjoy your drink. I could tell you the exact composition of this cocktail, but there are more important matters to discuss."

"You're cute when you've got your serious face," Rachel said, returning to her glass. Bishop looked across her at Telek, who looked highly amused.

"It was actually Kiryuu Knight that brought us out here, in a way," Bishop said to him. "Our Captain was determined to get out into space and mount a search-and-rescue. To that end he acquired a ship and crew, and we set off from Earth a few days after the memorial. About a week into the flight, we ran into some trouble."

"Those big ugly Brutes decided to try and make trophies out of us," Rachel chimed in, now more relaxed than before. "Good thing the Arbiter happened to drop by."

"Yes, if you want to put it like that," Bishop said. "Otto 'Gamam upgraded our ship with a slip-space drive; without it, we would not even have got as far as Alpha Centauri by now. Unfortunately he couldn't find a suitable superconductor and we ran into engine trouble within the first fifteen minutes in slip-space."

"Things went ka-splodey," Rachel said, miming an explosion with her hands. "So we jetted off to Pandora to find some shinies to make the new superconductor."

"Unobtainium was the only suitable material in our vicinity," Bishop said. "It was not the only thing there we found, though. We were fortunate enough to find Tom Jimenez, who was having a spot of bother with the native Na'vi."

"You and the Captain got yourselves caught as well," Rachel said, prodding Bishop's chest. "We all had to come bail you out!"

"Yes, that, of course," Bishop said, looking unusually flustered. "We managed to escape from Pandora, and Tom took us to the rest of the fleet. When we found out that we all shared a common goal, we were sworn in. We have had to manually survey dozens of worlds since then, searching for any sign of Kiryuu Knight, the Master Chief, or indeed yourself."

"One down, two to go," Rachel said, smiling. "It's been a lot of trouble, and we've risked death a number of times, but we've had a few laughs too." She turned to Bishop, an oddly smarmy expression on her face. "Remember the time we had to leave José behind and he picked a fight with Dovi? He didn't stop limping for a week!" She snorted a buried her face on the bar, fighting to stop herself giggling. The drink had made her tongue somewhat loose.

"I doubt José would say that was particularly funny," Bishop said in a droll manner.

Telek just chuckled as he listened to their stories. However, he did not like the idea that they all were a little rough around the neck. He could easily tell that this was basically their first time out in space. What he could not stand was dealing with rookies who did not know what to do. But it seemed Cujo was instructing them well.

"So, Cujo had y'all on 'search for Telek' duties," Telek said. "Well, you found me, now you can go back to Cujo and report to him that you found me. But—however, don't tell him where I'm at. I'm not done yet. I don't want him or the rest of my fleet to start moving in on my location at full speed. That's the last thing I need."

"If I may, Supreme Commander," began Bishop. "Why prey tell did you leave your fleet?"

Suddenly both Telek and Shri became serious and their faces grew dark.

"I'm searching for someone," replied Telek. "Someone who dishonoured me a long time ago. He was a member of my fleet, a Spec Ops Sangheili. I had him work with a bunch of ODSTs one day and they were sent on a mission. But I found out too late that this black-armoured Sangheili had a black heart as well. He led the ODSTs into a Covenant ambush, and then they slaughtered every last one of those poor humans. From the report I got from Shri 'Canthon, none were left alive. It was a disgrace, a black mark on my reputation with the UNSC. They already had doubts about trusting a defector, then that ruined it. I felt that no manner of kissing ass to Lord Hood and President Knight could clear my name from the incident. I was blamed because he was under my command. They wondered how many other Sangheili were still loyal to the Covenant in my separatist band. I tried to explain to them that he was the only one. And I couldn't tell them why."

He leaned back and sipped his drink. This story was painful to tell.

"Dorva 'Elus knew the truth," he continued. "He knew the truth behind Covenant dogma. He knew it was all going to end up in a mass suicide, and yet he still did it! There was no Great Journey, no Divine Beyond. There was only death—yet he still went back to them." Telek's face flushed with anger. "He was a weak bastard fool. His actions nearly cost me my freedom with the UNSC and the lives of my Shipmasters and crew. I vowed that one-day when the war was over, I would look for the traitor who shamed me, and I would let him feel the sting of my sword. So, when I got some information that Dorva was nearby, I left. I left Cujo and the others behind, not telling them what I was after, because I did not want a whole fleet there scaring the piss outta Dorva and possibly the chance of losing him. So, I went alone. I told Cujo to continue the search for Kiryuu. That was a month ago. My search has led me here." His eyes came to focus on Rachel and Bishop. "Don't tell Cujo I'm here. You can tell him you've met me and that I'm alright, but don't tell him I'm here. I don't need him chasing after me. I'm not done yet. When I've found Dorva and killed him, I'll return to my fleet. I promise you that, but I'm not done yet."

Bishop's face remained one of polite interest, but he suddenly felt as if all of his servos would freeze in place. Rachel, raising her head slightly from her shoulders, was wide-eyed. Neither of them could believe that Telek was here looking for exactly the same person that they were, and both were aware that their mission had now suddenly become very complicated.

"What's wrong?" Shri asked Rachel, looking concerned. "That drink no good?"

Rachel slowly turned to look at Shri as if she had only just noticed her.

"Well, er..." she stammered, frantically trying to think of something to talk about other than Dorva. "It's just occurred to me... and don't this the wrong way, but... Are you a girl Elite? I've never seen one around the fleet before!"

Bishop shook his head, holding it in a hand. Shri's figure was more slender than the male Sangheili, and her voice wasn't as deep. The android was surprised that Rachel hadn't realised this sooner.

"I think I'm the only one on the ship who takes the time to study gender differences in non-human species," he muttered.

"There are females among Sangheili warriors," said Shri. "But not many. However, yes, I am female."

"And she is one of my finest swordsman," said Telek. "Or Swordswoman…swordsperson…I don't know what to call you."

Shri gave him a good slap in the stomach.

"And she's like a sister to me as well," said Telek. "If you're wondering why we're so informal."

Then, Telek rose. Shri followed him.

"Well, now that I know that you and your captain are in good hands with Cujo," he began. "We'll take our leave. I was searching for you to see if you needed any assistance. After all, I like humans. If I didn't, I wouldn't be wearing UNSC dog tags around my neck. Don't worry about handing over any credits, I'll take care of your drinks. But remember, don't tell Cujo. He sometimes likes to act like he's my nanny—if Shri doesn't beat him to the job first. Come on, Commander, our search continues."

"Bye," Rachel said, giving a friendly wave.

"Good luck in your search, Supreme Commander," Bishop said, giving a quick salute.

Telek and Shri finally parted from the two crewmembers of the _Serenity _and made their way to the cashier. When Telek was done with paying for their drinks, he looked back at Shri and motioned for her to follow.

"Call Ysoa," he said. "We're going invisible."

"Why?" asked Shri.

"Did you not notice the expression changing on that Rachel Tam girl when I said I was looking for Dorva?" Telek asked as they walked out of the pub. "Something tells me, they know Dorva too."

"You think they would help Dorva?" asked Shri.

"No," said Telek. "I don't. But something fishy is going on and I want to know what it is. Call Ysoa, I'll sneak around with my active camouflage on. I want to get to the bottom of this. Why are they really on Nos Astra?"

Shri nodded and headed off to contact her Spec Ops Sangheili while Telek disappeared behind a potted plant and switched on his active camouflage. He finally came back around and lowered his body, crawling on the floor towards the two crewmembers. Pressing himself up against the wall, he kept his body perfectly still as to make sure his outline was blurred by the background itself. He began to listen in on their conversation, hoping to gather the information he needed to find out what they know of Dorva 'Elus.

"Oh God..." Rachel muttered, leaning in close to Bishop. "Did you hear that?"

"My audio receptors are functioning perfectly, Rachel," Bishop said. "Telek has the same idea that José does, and you know how proud José is. If Telek beats him to Dorva then-"

"I know," Rachel interrupted. "He's gonna go crazy! We've gotta tell the others about this!" All of a sudden her commlink began to beep as a communication line opened. Telek risked leaning in a little closer to listen.

"_Rachel,"_ a Cockney-accented voice said on the other end. _"Do you read me?"_

"Talk of the devil..." Rachel muttered, raising the commlink to her mouth. "Loud and clear, Al."

"_We know where Hazra's hiding with his Eclipse lot,"_ the voice said. _"They're at the old prefab foundry in the factory district. Get Serenity prepped in case we signal for you. You should be able to track us there on your commlinks."_

"Guys, there's something you need to know," Rachel said quickly, as if afraid she would forget if she didn't say now. "You know Telek, the guy we've been spending a month looking for? He's right here on Nos Astra! He's after Dorva too!"

"_What?"_ the voice replied, incredulous.

Bishop was looking around to make sure that nobody was really listening, when he saw an odd shimmer against the wall quite close to their position. The light was warping strangely, as if it was being shone through some kind of invisible prism. He leaned in closer, and as he did so he became more and more convinced that he was seeing the outline of a figure pressed against the wall. He then remembered where he had seen such effects before.

"Optic camouflage!" he said urgently to Rachel. At this the warped light suddenly shifted, and Bishop followed it with his eyes. The shape was dashing straight for the exit.

"It must have been one of Telek's Sangheili!" Bishop said. "I don't know how long he was there..."

"Guys, you've got to hurry!" Rachel said, alarmed, into the commlink. "Telek's onto us! He's heading right for you!"


	3. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Galaxy

**It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Galaxy**

The taxi eventually came to a halt outside one of the upper floors of a wide skyscraper. After it landed gently on one of the landing platforms, Alan, Alistair and José all stepped out into the cool night air. There was only one way inside from where they were, so they stepped carefully through the sliding door.

Inside the corridor was very thin and plain, with several doors leading off to what they assumed to be storage areas. However, it didn't take long for the trio to find what they were looking for. As they rounded a corner, they came across a surly-looking Krogan leaning against the wall. As he spotted them, he stepped out, his enormous bulk blocking the corridor. Another Krogan stepped out behind them, blocking their exit. Alan now began to have the feeling that this was all a really bad idea. Now that he was seeing the Krogans up-close, their large head-plates and scarlet reptilian eyes were rather unnerving.

A squat figure was stepping out from behind the first Krogan. It turned out to be a Volus, waddling in front of his bodyguard in his dumpy environment suit. The eyes of the suit glowed with a yellow light as he carefully regarded the trio.

"Hazra?" Alan inquired. "You're not what I expected." He was sure that Cujo had mentioned that the message had been intended for a Salarian, and he wanted to know what this Volus was doing here.

"Looks can be deceiving," the Volus wheezed. "So are you looking for work, or does one of you perhaps need to disappear?"

"I'd rather you make someone reappear, puto," José spat.

"Ah..." the Volus paused. Alan was sure that his face would be looking awkward if he could see it.

"That's not the service I provide," the Volus continued.

"Make an exception," José snarled, suddenly pulling out his large ODST-issue revolver and pointing it right at the Volus' head. "Just this once."

"Damnit all!" the Volus screamed, pointing at the Krogans. "Shoot them! Shoot them now, you dunderheads!"

There was a sudden standoff, as both Krogans drew large shotguns and pointed them at the group. At the same time Alan pulled out his Technomantic revolver and took aim at one Krogan, while Alistair aimed two plasma rifles at the other. Alan knew that if a shot was fired then security would almost certainly come after them. The Krogans seemed to realise this too, for they looked very reluctant to start firing.

"Why don't you blokes go for a little wander?" Alistair asked, grinning. Perhaps realising that they were outclassed, the Krogans put their weapons away and trudged off round the corner. The Volus stamped his foot impotently.

"Can't ever get good help these days..." he spluttered.

"Right, let's talk," Alan said. "We're looking for someone; a client of yours." He advanced on the Volus, but the figure began to tremble violently and held up a robotic arm in protest.

"Not mine!" he panted indignantly. "I'm not Hazra! I just work for him... sort of."

"I knew it," Alan muttered.

"Maybe you can tell us where to find him then," José growled.

"Alright, alright," the Volus said despairingly. "He's in the factory district, working out of the old prefab foundry. Reaching him won't be easy though; he's in pretty deep with Eclipse. Their mercs will be crawling all over the place."

"We've still gotta try, boss," José said to Alan, a determined gleam in his eye. "He's our only chance of finding Dorva."

"Well, let's not waste any more time," Alan said.

"So..." the Volus stammered. "So I can go then?"

"Oh, sure," Alan said. "If we don't find Hazra though, we'll be back for you."

"Oh..." the Volus muttered, in a defeated tone. "Goodie." He sidled off as fast as his stumpy legs could carry him.

"Rachel," Alistair said, speaking into his commlink. "Do you read me?"

"_Loud and clear, Al,"_ Rachel's voice responded, sounding rather unnerved.

"We know where Hazra's hiding with his Eclipse lot," Alistair said. "They're at the old prefab foundry in the factory district. Get _Serenity_ prepped in case we signal for you. You should be able to track us there on your commlinks."

"_Guys, there's something you need to know,"_ Rachel said quickly, sounding worried. _"You know Telek, the guy we've been spending a month looking for? He's right here on Nos Astra! He's after Dorva too!"_

"What?" Alistair said in an incredulous tone.

"What is it?" Alan asked him, as he and José approached him.

"It's Telek!" Alistair said. "According to Rachel he's right here looking for the same bloke as us!"

"Shit!" José snarled, kicking out with his foot.

"Why's that such a problem?" Alan asked, looking bewildered at José. "I think we could use his help!"

"No!" José said fiercely. "Even if they're not on the same side, I can't let that bastard rob me of my shot! This is my problem; I've got to deal with it myself! I'm not letting his split-ass butt into this!"

There had been silence on the other end of the commlink while they had been talking, aside from frantic mutterings which were indistinct. All of a sudden Rachel's voice could be heard again, sounding panic-stricken.

"_Guys, you've got to hurry!"_ she said. _"Telek's onto us! He's heading right for you!"_

"We'll take care of it!" Alistair said, before killing the line. José was already dashing back down the corridor, looking ready to kill, and Alan and Alistair struggled to keep up. When they reached the taxi José was already in it, and he almost took off without them.

0

"They're after Dorva too," said Telek.

"Why?" asked Shri. "Why would these humans want Dorva?"

"I don't know, but they know who's hiding him," he said. "We have to get there first and beat that info outta him. I want Dorva dead. Erin."

"_Yes, Excellency," _began Erin's voice through the commlink.

"Tell the Twiddle Brothers, I need a scan on the planet's surface," said Telek. "Have them activate the Luminary and find the Forerunner symbol for Reclaimer. That'll tell us where the other humans are on the planet."

"_No problem," _said Erin. After a few moments, Erin came back to the comlink. _"They are near Storage Block AA23. Only, I'm getting two Reclaimer symbols on the Luminary. One is near you, and the other at Storage Block AA23. There are two other figures with him—allies I suppose, but lots of enemies."_

"By any chance is one of those Hazra?" Telek asked. He turned back to Shri and Ysoa. "The other is the girl Rachel Tam we met. That Bishop character must be some sort of android."

"_Possibly,"_ said Erin. _"I can't tell for sure from the sensors."_

"Alright," said Telek. "We're heading for Storage Block AA23. Keep monitoring our position and the position of that other human and his friends."

"_Uh, Rolu stated he received transponder chatter between the two groups," _said Erin. _"I think they might know you're heading over there."_

"Well, let's hope I get to Hazra first before they do," said Telek. "Let's go, Shri."

"We better get to the Phantom, we can make better timing with it," said Shri.

"Tram," began Telek. "Get the Phantom ready. We're following the humans."

"_Yes, Excellency," _said the Phantom pilot Tram.

"_Humans are moving," _said Erin as the Phantom descended upon Telek, Shri, and the other Spec Ops Sangheili. The Sangheili got into the Phantom and strapped themselves in. Telek headed for the co-pilot seat.

"Where are they heading for?" he asked.

"_Hang on," _said Erin. _"Luminary's hot on their trail. I got a lock on the signal. One Reclaimer along with a companion is heading back for the cargo ship, the second Reclaimer with his compatriots are heading for the taxi. Rolu's got a lock. They're heading for the foundry district."_

"Keep that lock on them!" said Telek. "Tram, engage active camouflage. We're going dark."

"Yes, Excellency," said Tram. "Active camouflage engaged. They will not be able to spot us against the dark sky."

Telek felt the shift in his seat just as the Phantom took off into the air and began to speed its way between the tall skyscrapers.

"One thing I never told the UNSC," Telek chuckled. "That the Luminary can track human DNA because of the Forerunners imprinting it into their technology so that they could one day reclaim it. That's why we found Harvest, and that was how the Covenant found Earth. Human DNA. And now, it's working against them again. And to my favour."

"It's almost like we're back in the Covenant again," said Shri. "Hunting after humans."

"No, we're just gonna stop them from whatever plans they have for Dorva," said Telek. "I want answers! I want to know what their business is with Dorva, but I'll get it out of them after I find where Dorva is first."

"Maybe they want revenge on Dorva too," said Ysoa.

"Why?" Telek asked. "No survivors were left when Dorva betrayed the ODSTs. And I was made to pay for it. This information had not gotten out from ONI or HICOM. No one else knew of the incident unless they had high enough clearance to know. It just doesn't make sense."

Telek's eyes narrowed when they began to pass over the taxi track, following it down to the foundry sector of the city. One particular taxi seemed to be heading at break neck speed towards a prefab factory in the sector itself.

"Erin, that taxi, is that them?" Telek asked. "The one heading for that prefab factory?"

_"Getting one Reclaimer signal from the taxi," _said Erin. _"Yup, that's them alright. I'd look out, Telek. That factory is crawling with mercenaries. I suggest you let the humans handle most of the mercenaries while you guys go find Hazra."_

"Since when do you give tactical suggestions?" Telek asked with a chuckle.

"_Actually, it isn't my suggestion, it was Dunkelzahn's," _said Erin. _"I'm translating for him since his voice can't carry over the commlink."_

"Tell him thanks for the suggestion, we'll take it from here," said Telek. "Okay, Tram, set her down on the opposite side of the factory. I don't want to alert anyone we're here. Keep the camouflage up."

"Yes, Excellency," said Tram.

Telek rose from his seat just as the gravity lift in the floor opened up. Shri, Ysoa, the other Spec Ops Sangheili and Telek all leapt out of the Phantom, activating their cloaking devices. Telek pulled his magnum from its holster and placed a silencer on it. Shri got out her carbine and Ysoa with his other Sangheili got out their plasma rifles. Telek leaned over a box and zoomed into the head of one of the mercenaries, taking the shot. The mercenary fell to the ground. Others scampered around him, trying to find out where the shot came from. Ysoa and Shri took their shots as well, picking off the other guards. Just as the path was cleared, they made their way into the factory. Telek paused for a moment and held up his hand, hearing the sound of gunfire on the far end. Obviously, the humans had arrived and were making their way through. Mercenaries raced to join the fight, unaware of the invisible Sangheili sneaking around the corner. Telek knelt down against the wall and activated his commlink.

"What does this Hazra jackass look like?" Telek asked.

"_According to the records," _began Erin. _"He's a Salarian. A bit skinny, even for one."_

"Never really liked Salarians," said Telek. "But fine."

He peeked around the corner to find the Salarian surrounded by a few mercenary guards. Kneeling down, he pointed to Ysoa and his Sangheili and then to Shri, telling them silently to move around the guards towards the various boxes in the warehouse. They nodded and started moving in, keeping their low profiles. Telek pulled out his magnum again and fired upon one of the mercenaries, shooting him in the head. Shri pulled out her carbine and shot the other one and it suddenly fell to the ground. Hazra rose up, startled just as several of his guard were thrown down to the ground, either sliced in half or shot. Then, finally, he met with a bright, blue-white, plasma blade pointing at his eyes. Telek finally faded into view. Telek grabbed the Salarian by the neck and pulled him close.

"Sangheili," said Hazra. "Not very bright creatures…so I have heard. Very forceful, though. And sometimes foolish."

"If you wanna keep your head on its neck, I suggest you cut the insults and give me what I want!" Telek growled.

Shri spun around at the sound of another mercenary charging for her. She pulled out her own sword and leapt into the air. With one downward slice, his body was cleaved in two. She landed on the crate, keeping an eye out for any other mercenaries heading for them.

"And what is it do you want?" Hazra asked.

"You are hiding a Sangheili named Dorva 'Elus," Telek began. "I want to know where you're hiding him."

"So, you must be Telek 'Heros," said Hazra. "Yes, Dorva has told me about you. He also said—that you will never catch him."

"That's because he's got friends like you!" Telek bellowed. "Now, where is he? Or do you want to meet your maker early?"

"Not very intelligent are you?" said Hazra, feeling Telek's grip on him grow tighter. "Kill me and you lose Dorva."

"I have other ways of pullin' the information outta yah," said Telek. "Alive or dead." He backed off for a moment and contacted his ship. "Erin, prepare to send Dunkelzahn down here. I'm sure after I kill Hazra, I can get the dragon to capture his ghost and allow him to beat the information outta Hazra."

"_Dunkelzahn said he can do that,"_ said Erin. _"He can call forth Hazra's spirit and force the information out of him easily."_

"Yah see?" Telek asked. "It don't matter to me if you're dead or alive, you're gonna talk one way or another. So, I suggest if you want to keep yourself alive, you give me the coordinates. Where is Dorva?"

"I—I can arrange for a meeting with him," said Hazra. "If that will satisfy you. I am sure that you two have much to talk about. He said that there is something that he does need—to get off—his chest."

"I'd be much obliged if you did that," said Telek, letting the Salarian go. "Contact, Dorva, tell him I do want to meet with him. And we'll chat. We will chat."

"You—must promise not to kill him," said Hazra. "At least, not before he had a chance—to tell you what he needs to tell you."

"I am an honourable Sangheili," said Telek. "But I had my honour defiled by that traitor. He wants to plead for his life, I will listen. Hurry it up! I'm growing impatient."

"Right away," said Hazra.

0

José still had a sour expression on his face as the taxi sped through the city skyline. He could not believe that after all this time spent hunting Dorva he was about to be robbed of his chance of revenge. Alan and Alistair kept looking at him, both looking concerned. They knew José had a dislike of Sangheili in general, but they had never expected him to become so murderous.

"What do you plan to do when we find Hazra?" Alan asked.

"Get Dorva's whereabouts out of him," José said viciously. "If the chupaverga doesn't co-operate, I'll beat him to within an inch of his life if it'll loosen his tongue."

"You're getting pretty tense, mate," Alistair chimed in.

"I don't want him tipping Dorva off," said José. He looked out of the windshield as the tall factory buildings crept closer to them.

"What do you think Hazra's got waiting for us in there?" Alan asked, leaning in to try and get a closer look."

"Not sure," Alistair said. "It's an old industrial complex, right? There could be anything in there; probably a lot of heavy machinery. Not to mention those Eclipse guys, whoever they are. Hazra's really trapped himself in a corner; he must have something waiting for intruders."

Alan nodded, and then turned to José, who had a stony expression.

"You still planning to kill Dorva when we find him?" Alan asked.

""That's the plan," José snarled. "It'll be quick and painless. Unlike everyone he betrayed, he'll be spared the agony of a slow death. It's more than he deserves, but as long as he's dead I'll be satisfied."

Alan's expression was doubtful. "Do you really think killing Dorva will make everything right?" he asked. He knew that José had every reason to be angry, but he had to wonder if José was aware that avenging his comrades would not bring them back. He had seen himself what the desire for revenge could do to someone, and he didn't want his crew to tread the same path.

"I didn't expect you to like it, boss," José said with a bitter tone, "but I have to do this."

"Is there really no other way?" Alan asked.

"Maybe, boss," José spat. "But this is personal. I'll pull the trigger and live with the consequences. All I'm asking is that you help me find him."

Alan still looked doubtful, but in the end he nodded and prepped his caster revolver. The taxi eventually reached the enormous factory complex nestled among a series of tall skyscrapers. The surface of Illium was too hot for settlements except in the polar regions; everything, even such a heavy industrial complex, was kept high above ground level.

The taxi rode down to a small landing platform on the corner of the south-most building, and all three passengers stepped off. The platform stretched around the corner, and all three marched around with their weapons ready. Around the corner was an entrance to the complex, and standing outside were three people. They were all Salarians, skinny, grey-skinned and with large black eyes. Two of them were wearing yellow and black body armour which made them look to Alan like large wasps. On their chest-pieces was an insignia; a sun with a large black E stamped on it. The skinniest of them was dressed in plain civilian clothing, and he was now looking at the three nervously.

"Hazra?" Alan called. The un-armoured Salarian fidgeted.

"What and who are you?" he called, in a clipped, reedy voice.

"Dorva 'Elus," José called. "You're hiding him. Get him out here now!"

"Oh no..." Hazra muttered, his eyes widening. He turned to the two mercenaries beside him. "What are you waiting for? Shoot them now!"

After that he ran straight into the complex. The Eclipse mercenaries raised their weapons, but this time the trio did not hesitate and gunned them down. Even as their bodies hit the floor José led the charge into the complex.

"Run all you want, Hazra!" he yelled, his voice full of rage. "We'll find you!"

The interior of the complex was enormous, with heavy machinery lined along the walls and crossing the ceiling. Immediately the group were forced to dive for cover as they were fired upon not just by the Eclipse, but by a heavy security robot that they had managed to re-activate. Alan hid behind a large crane, while José and Alistair hid inside the same cargo container. All three fired back at the mech, forced to duck as shots came whizzing straight at them. The machine was heavily-armoured, but Alistair concentrated his plasma fire on it while Alan and José picked off the shooters. After a great deal of effort, the robot exploded, scattering its parts all over the factory floor and bowling over some of the Eclipse who had been standing too close.

Alan signalled for Alistair to get to higher ground. The gargoyle ran to the wall of the complex and dug his talons into it. It was harder to get a grip on steel than concrete, but with a great deal of effort he did manage to climb up to the ceiling while Alan and José pushed forward.

However, one of the Eclipse – an Asari – was still alive. She suddenly jumped out from the crate she had been hiding behind, her body glowing with a bright blue energy, and threw her glowing hand out in front of her. Instantly there was an explosion of blue energy under Alan's feet, lifting him off the ground and knocking José sideways. Alan actually backflipped twice in mid-air before crashing back onto the ground. Dazed and seeing spots before his eyes, his head spun as if he had just stepped off a particularly violent fairground ride.

The Asari had leaped into the air and had pulled her glowing fist back, intending to punch Alan's face off when she landed. However, her face became a mask of shock as bullets from José's assault rifle tore into her. With her shields down and no barriers in place, she was dead before she landed on top of Alan. The mutant roughly pushed her off and got to his feet; it was clear to him that he had been on the receiving end of biotics, and was in no hurry to have to face them again.

He and José were forced to dive for cover as more Eclipse streamed into the room, apparently having come through side-entrances. Two snipers set themselves up on the upper gantry and began firing with their high-calibre rifles, pinning Alan and José down. It was Alistair who managed to catch them by surprise, gliding down from some of the heavy machinery, his foot colliding with the face of one of the snipers. Salarian necks were apparently rather brittle, as Alistair heard it snap as the sniper dropped, his rifle falling to the floor below. The other sniper tried to swing round to hit Alistair, but the gargoyle shot him with his plasma rifle, bringing him down for the count.

With the snipers gone, Alan and José had a lot less trouble dealing with the other mercenaries. When all of them were dead, Alistair glided back down to meet the others at the end of the factory floor. In front of them was a sliding door, leading into what looked like a small control room between different parts of the warehouse. A door led into the second building, while the window shutters for both warehouses were closed. Alan was about to cross over into the second building when he heard voices coming from the other end. Hardly daring to breath, he, Alistair and José took positions around the closed shutters to listen.

"You—must promise not to kill him," Hazra's voice could be heard saying. "At least, not before he had a chance—to tell you what he needs to tell you."

"I am an honourable Sangheili," a deep voice with a distinct Tennessean accent retorted. "But I had my honour defiled by that traitor. He wants to plead for his life, I will listen. Hurry it up! I'm growing impatient."

"Right away," said Hazra. José very nearly moved towards the door, but Alistair placed a warning hand on his shoulder. Hazra then began speaking again, evidently to someone on his commlink, though the voice of the person on the other end was too muffled to hear clearly:

"It's me. There's a chance your identity may be compromised... That's why I'm calling. I'm sending an agent. Where do you want to meet? ... All right. He'll be there. Don't worry; I have it covered." There was a moment of silence before Hazra spoke again with a rather spiteful tone. "It's all arranged. He'll meet you in front of the Orbital Lounge within the hour."

"Good boy..." the Sangheili replied. There was a loud crack, and a thud as something hit the shutter. Hazra's groan of pain could be heard.

"You heard the son-of-a-bitch," the Sangheili said. "Back to the Phantom, now!"

There was the sound of several running footsteps and the rattling of armour. The noise soon died away, and when Alan was quite sure that they were alone he pressed a button beside the shutter. It suddenly flew open, revealing several more Eclipse bodies – one of which had been sliced in two – and Hazra, moaning while holding his head. It seemed the Sangheili had headbutted him.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Hazra moaned.

There was clearly no time to answer, for it seemed obvious to the three Serenity crew members who the Sangheili's voice had belonged to. José looked positively murderous as the trio ran back through the warehouse to the landing platform.

"Rachel," Alan said into his commlink, "get Shuttle One prepped, just in case. Have Bishop on standby at the _Serenity_'s controls. We'll signal if we need you."

"_Roger, Captain,"_ Rachel's scared-sounding voice replied. _"Watch out for Telek."_

"The split-face didn't go far enough," José was saying as they scrambled back into the taxi. "If we don't find Dorva I'm coming back here to finish the job."


	4. The Grey Area

**The Grey Area**

The taxi ride to the Orbital Lounge wasn't a comfortable one. They hoped to be there before Telek was. José had his arms folded, staring straight ahead of him, his face full of a cold fury that Alan had never seen before. He was now really starting to get worried about José; this whole mission seemed to have sent him tumbling over the edge.

"That Hazra's a fucking menace," José snarled, breaking the awkward silence. "We shouldn't have just left him with a migraine. He deserved to be punished."

"I'm getting worried about you, José," Alan replied, finally voicing his concerns. "You've been acting irrationally since you found out Dorva was here."

"You don't think scum like him and Hazra deserve what they get?" José snapped.

"It's just not like you, mate," Alistair chimed in from the back seat. Both he and Alan had identical looks of concern on their faces, something which seemed to annoy José even more.

"What do you guys want from me?" he snarled, before rounding on Alistair. "You backstabbed the boss and Rachel once. How do you think they felt about that, huh?"

"I don't claim to speak for Rachel," Alan said sharply, as Alistair opened his beak to argue, "but I didn't let it change me." José gave a frustrated sigh; he still wasn't sure if he could forgive Alistair for once making a colossal mistake which nearly cost the rest of the crew their lives. Alan, however, was convinced that José's old team-mates would not have wanted him to become a murderer.

"It's not too late," Alan continued. "You don't have to go through with this. Let me talk to him."

"Talk all you want," José said dismissively, "but it won't change my mind. I don't care what his reasons were. He screwed us... He deserves to die."

"We understand, mate," Alistair said, "but do you really want to kill him?"

"Look, amigos," José said, trying to keep his voice level but failing to hide his frustration. "I appreciate the concern and all, but I'm not you."

"This isn't you either," Alan retorted.

"Really?" snapped José viciously. "I've always hated injustice. The thought that Dorva could get away with what he did... Why should he go on living when twelve good men and women lie in unmarked graves?" He turned his face back to the windscreen, his eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, boss, but words aren't gonna help here."

The rest of the trip continued in silence. Eventually the taxi parked on a landing platform, near a short flight of steps leading up to the Orbital Lounge. It turned out to be a nightclub, with a social area out the front and thudding techno music which could be heard from the platform. Opposite the club was a low structure that stretched out and away from the club. Alan, Alistair and José all stepped out of the taxi and looked around. José looked at the structure and noticed a fire escape alongside it.

"I need to set up," he said to the others. "I can get a clear shot from that building."

"Alistair, you get to high ground and watch over things," said Alan. "Keep yourself out of sight. Telek will come in cloaked, so warn us if you see anything even vaguely odd."

"Understood, Captain," Alistair said. He went to climb up one of the nearby buildings, casting one last, meaningful look back at the others.

"What do you need me to do?" Alan asked José.

"When he comes, keep him talking and don't get in my way," José replied. "I'll let you know when he's in my sights. Gimme a signal so I know you're ready, and I'll take the shot. You'd better hurry; he'll be here soon."

With that, he climbed to the top of the fire escape and pulled his large ODST assault rifle off his back. He set it to single-shot mode and perched himself against the edge of the building, overlooking the courtyard. He peered down the scope and adjusted it accordingly. He wished he had remembered to bring a real sniper rifle, but under the circumstances this would have to do. He knew that he could easily send a bullet straight into Dorva's head even with this.

"Alan, Alistair can you hear me?" he said into his commlink.

"_Loud and clear,"_ Alan replied.

"_All quiet so far, José,"_ Alistair replied.

Down below, Alan moved up the steps and into the courtyard. He leaned casually against a wall and looked around. The area was deserted; everybody would be inside the club, and the music was bound to cover the sound of a gunshot. He pulled out his own revolver and adjusted the barrel so that it would fire Medusa shells, designed to stun instead of kill. He knew it would be good to have a failsafe, in case anything went wrong.

After waiting for ten minutes, a dishevelled-looking Sangheili, dressed in shabby, ill-fitting clothes, walked into the area, peering nervously all around him. This was the first time Alan had seen a Sangheili without their armour, and he couldn't suppress the feeling that they looked a lot less impressive without it. Life outside the military clearly didn't suit them.

"_That's him,"_ José said through the commlink. _"Wave him over and keep him talking."_

Alan did so, gesturing towards the Sangheili and looking at him intently. The Sangheili nodded and walked over to him.

"Let's get this over with," Dorva 'Elus said, his voice betraying a hint of fear.

"_You're in my shot,"_ José whispered. _"Move to the side."_

Alan paused for a moment. More and more he was convinced that this was a bad idea. Even when he was a Shadowrunner he had kept his own moral code; assassinations were completely out of the question. Kiryuu himself had said that there was always another option, no matter how undesirable it might be. So, in that instant, he made his mind up of what he was going to do.

"Listen, Dorva," Alan said firmly. "I'm here to help you."

"Don't ever say that name aloud," Dorva said, glancing around him.

"I'm a friend of José Lovano," Alan said.

"What?" Dorva replied, his eyes widened. "But he's dead!"

"He survived your little double-cross in the Exodus Cluster," Alan said, failing to hide the disgust in his voice. "Telek 'Heros is here too. They both want you dead, but I'm hoping that's not necessary."

"Telek as well?" Dorva replied. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"_Damnit, Alan!"_ José muttered furiously. _"If he moves, I'm taking the shot!"_

"You're not kidding, are you?" Dorva said nervously. Alan just looked at him firmly; a look which told Dorva all he needed to know.

"Screw this!" the Sangheili said, sounding frightened out of his mind. "I'm not sticking around here to find out! Tell José and Telek I had my own problems..."

He started to move away, but Alan grabbed his arm and pulled him in close, so that their faces were almost touching.

"Don't move," Alan said firmly.

"Get off me!" Dorva shouted, but Alan's grip held fast.

"I'm the only thing standing between you and a hole in the head," he snarled.

"Fuck..." Dorva muttered, his head hung low. He had a look of the deepest shame on his face.

"Look," he said earnestly, "I didn't want to do it... I didn't have a choice."

"_Everyone has a choice, you sack of shit,"_ José growled.

"Truth got to me," Dorva said, his voice cracking. "He said he'd have my family killed if I didn't betray Telek and the humans! What was I supposed to do?"

"_Let me take the shot, boss,"_ José said firmly. _"He's a damned coward."_

Alan, however, did not budge. He continued to glare at Dorva, his reptilian eyes flashing dangerously.

"You were trying to save your family?" Alan said disbelievingly. "You'd better not be bullshitting me here..." Dorva walked towards one the benches and leaned on the back, Alan keeping himself between him and José's bullet.

"I know what I did..." Dorva said, his voice low and full of regret. "I know that so many died because of me, and I have to live with that. I wake up every night, sick and sweating... each of their faces staring at me... accusing me... My family wanted nothing to do with me, after learning what I had done... I'm already dead. I don't sleep, and food has no taste... Some days I just want it all to be over."

"_Just give me the chance..."_ José's voice said firmly.

"You've got to let it go, José," Alan said. "He's already paying for his crime."

"_He hasn't paid enough,"_ José spat. _"He still has his life."_

"Look at him, José," Alan retorted. "He's not alive. There's nothing left to kill."

"_My buddies..."_ José said, his voice cracking. _"They deserved better."_

"Tell José..." Dorva began, but seemed to trail off. He released a deep sigh. "I guess there's nothing I can say to make it right..."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause. Alan could tell that José was giving serious thought to what had been said; for one thing, he had gone longer than a few seconds without telling Alan to stand aside.

"_Just..."_ José finally said, as if this was taking every ounce of resolve he had. _"Just go. Tell him to go."_

"He's giving you a second chance," Alan said firmly to Dorva. "Don't waste it."

Within seconds of their exchange, a ripple of distortion leapt out from behind a potted plant. Alan did not even have time to move when he suddenly found himself forced to the ground. Dorva let out a yelp of surprise when he felt something grip tightly around his throat and lift him up. A clash sounded and a spark of blue flashed before him. He then found himself staring down the twin blades of a plasma sword as the invisible figure revealed itself. His eyes widened when he saw who it was. After all this time of hiding, there he was—his superior officer, his commander, his leader, and the one he betrayed—Telek 'Heros.

"Hello, Dorva," Telek growled, his mandibles quivering. "It's been a long while."

"Telek!" Dorva squawked under the much larger Sangheili's grip. "It's—good to see you again. I see you got a promotion. Supreme Commander now?"

"Yeah, after my kind finally got some sense knocked into their blunt heads," Telek said. "And finally realized I was right all along! We wouldn't have been able to win the war if I hadn't sucked it up and went back to Sanghelios, pleading for their help. But begging them to defend Earth was not as hard as going through trial after trial in the UNSC for what you've done!"

"You don't understand—I had a reason!" Dorva said. "You think I wanted to do what I did?"

"That doesn't make a difference," Telek said. "You knew the truth. You know what we were trying to prevent."

"I had a family to think of," said Dorva.

"And I was thinking about my entire species!" Telek bellowed. "You knew the consequences if Truth had won. You knew what he was going to do! Your family would have been good as dead anyway if Truth had won! We'd all be dead. Billions of lives across millions of worlds, wiped out in a blink of an eye all because the Covenant didn't know what the damned Halos really did. I was trying to prevent a massacre and you nearly let it happen. The lives of those ODSTs was just the opening act, the glassing of 76 worlds the Covenant had done was just the warm up. We're talking about full-scale annihilation here. Because you wanted to save your family, you nearly doomed us all. How—selfish you are. And I had to pay for your crimes. Kiryuu never let me hear the end of it afterwards. I was about to be thrown into prison and all that I had worked for to stop Truth from killing us would have been for naught."

"But you succeeded," said Dorva, almost in tears. "You succeeded. If you're here, and the war is won, then Truth must be dead."

"I killed Truth," said Telek. "I finally got my revenge for him casting me out—for telling everyone that what we thought was wrong. He declared war on a hapless species just because they were in his way! He wanted to commit genocide upon them, because they were in his way. And I killed him. I stopped him from making the 'Great Journey' happen. But I wasn't alone. It took the combined efforts of me, Otto, and Kiryuu—their leader, to stop Truth."

"Then, kill me," said Dorva. "I have brought dishonour upon you, and my own family for what I had done. I do not deserve to live."

"Gladly," Telek growled, lifting his sword up. "I'm gonna cleave your head from its neck, traitor!"

As Telek was about to strike, however, he felt something suddenly wrap itself tightly round his sword-arm. Before he had time to act he felt a sharp tug on his arm, and his sword was jerked loose out of his hand. It was thrown onto the floor and landed a short distance away. Telek spun round to see who had dared to interrupt him, and as he did so he threw Dorva hard to the floor. Dorva just lay on the ground looking like an overgrown slug; he made no effort to escape, apparently resigned to his fate.

Alan, meanwhile, was pushing himself to his feet, the nanowire line from his monofilament whip still fastened tightly around Telek's arm. He and Telek didn't take their eyes off each other. Telek's mandibles quivered as he let out a frustrated snarl, but before he could say anything Alan cut him off.

"I don't want to hear it, Telek," he said firmly. "I know what Dorva did, and I'm telling you that he's not worth it. There's nothing left of him to kill. I'm not letting you or my crewman sink to his level and become murderers because of him."

"Bad move, kid," Telek growled just as he took hold of the whip. He gave a good heft of his sword arm and hurtled Alan against the wall. "Don't you become a fugitive among my fleet as well! I can kick you out as quickly as Cujo let you in."

Alan slammed into the wall and crumpled up on the floor, winded but otherwise unharmed. He had not expected Telek to be like this; if anything, the Supreme Commander was out for blood more than José was. If even the notoriously anti-Sangheili José could bring himself to spare Dorva, then Telek was beyond reason.

"_Captain!"_ Alistair's voice said in his ear. _"I'm right above him, I can pound his face into the-"_

"No!" Alan said, in an urgent whisper. "Not yet..."

Dorva glanced up at Telek, still with pitiful eyes, but the much larger Sangheili disregarded him. He pulled the modified caster magnum, the gift from Manda and Jacob Keyes from its holster and placed the specialized Technomancy shells into it. They were #13 shells, specifically designed to kill Flood, but Telek was willing to use it on Dorva just this once.

"I'm willing to pay the price of getting rid of trash like yourself, Dorva," he said. "From now on, you have no name among your people. But I'll make your death quick and painless. It's the least I could do for the fine service you have given me prior to your betrayal."

Alan glanced up, seeing the familiar gun in Telek's hands. For a short moment, he saw Manda instead of Telek, holding that rather large pistol in his hands. It was Manda's magnum! Telek had Manda's Magnum! He could see the cyan blue glowing circuitry along the edges of the gun. Dorva closed his eyes, waiting for the shot.

"Adios, Dorva 'Elus," Telek sneered just as he charged up the gun. He planted his feet to the ground, bracing himself for the powerful recoil that the #13 shell was about to give him.

This time, Alan did not hesitate. He quickly drew his own caster revolver, the glowing circuitry on the barrel showing that the shots were primed and ready. He fired at Telek, the gun releasing what looked like a large ball of electricity.

Alarmed by the sound of the gunshot, Telek looked up, but he wasn't able to dive out of the way of the shot in time. The electric ball slammed into him, causing him to shake violently and be covered in glowing sparks. His shields absorbed a good deal of the shot; he had not been knocked out cold, after all. However, he still felt unbelievable amounts of pain as the energy surged through him.

Taking his cue, Alistair swooped down from the building he had been hiding on top of. His glide path took him down behind Telek. As the sparks faded and Telek gasped for breath, Alistair rammed into him from behind, sending both sprawling onto the floor. There was a horrible crunch as Alistair slammed Telek's face into the pavement, while with his free hand he pulled the magnum free. Alan wobbled to his feet, his heart racing but keeping his gun drawn, while Alistair backed away clutching Telek's magnum.

Telek rose up to his feet, and let loose a deep growl: "That was a stupid move, Tweedy Bird. I'm gonna make hot-wings outta yah!"

He gave a good pop of his neck and tightened the bandana knot behind his head. The Sangheili pulled out the twin shot guns from his back and spun them around, cocking them into place.

"I've handled Flood, I've handled King Ghidorah, I've handled Truth," he began. "I think I can handle a giant turkey such as yourself. Now gimme back my gun before I turn yah into Swiss Cheese."

"Make me, mate," Alistair said.

"Have it your way, son," Telek shrugged. "But y'all picked the wrong Sangheili to pick a fight with."

With one fluid motion, Telek butterfly kicked Alistair, knocking both him and the magnum to the ground. He heard the cocking of Alan's gun and swung around before the mutant could take the shot. Just as the shot was fired, Telek spun out of the way and knocked Alan over with the barrel of the shotgun. He saw that Alistair was still trying to make a reach for the magnum and fired the shotgun in his right hand. The spray impacted in between Alistair and the magnum.

"Not nice to try and take things that ain't yours," growled Telek. He spun the right shotgun, cocking it again. Alistair tried to make another reach, but Telek called after him. "Eh! Bad birdie. Back away before I blow that beak of yours off your face."

He turned to Alan.

"This ain't your business, kid," he told the mutant. "This is mine. He was under my responsibility. And I nearly got shafted because of him. Now, if you wish to continue under my fleet's protection, I suggest you learn to follow my orders. This is Sangheili tradition. He who dishonours another, must pay with his life. He has dishonoured me and many of my fleet. If Cujo were here, he'd be doing the same thing. Which is why he ain't here and I am. Because I am the commanding officer of this fleet, I take the duty of doing the dirty work. What even made it worse was this traitor decided to run instead of face up for his crimes. Just letting him live with misery is not enough." He pointed the gun at Alan. "Now, you don't wanna join him, do yah?"

"_Telek," _began the voice of Dunkelzahn. He could tell there was some strain in the Dragon's voice trying to project itself so far. Telek glanced over to see the underside of his own ship peeking out between the skyscrapers. _"Would you listen to Alan? Show a little compassion. Let the man go."_

"I spent a whole month tryin' to find his ass," Telek growled. "Leaving my fleet behind so I could take care of this one blemish with the UNSC, and now I have the opportunity to correct that mistake—and everybody is telling me I shouldn't? Do any of you realize what I went through in order to cover my ass and not get thrown into a POW camp or executed? All because of him! My life, Cujo, Mitsu, Tulsa's and all our crews lives—for his. And the worst of it all, I had to prostrate myself before Kiryuu Knight because of him. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do. HICOM was already scared shitless over letting someone from the Covenant with a level 5 clearance to ONI. And letting him live is a sign of weakness among the Sangheili. Even Cujo, Mitsu, Tulsa—Wago…for God sakes—would be asking why I let him live. And what compassion should I show someone who showed no compassion to those he was assigned to work with? I trusted this pathetic being with a mission he decided to discard over the lives of his family—which would have been meaningless anyway had Truth won. Y'all can't possibly understand what this means right now."

Telek looked down at Alan again.

"I have no idea why you want to risk your neck to protect his," he said. "But either way, I will have his neck—even if I have to take yours first. So, before you wish to die for him, I suggest you think about your own right now. He's already given up. Death would even allow him to save face. That is our way, even if it isn't yours. I am showing compassion by ending his life."

"_He's got a point, boss,"_ José's voice whispered in Alan's ear. _"Why are we trying to protect the bastard? I said I wouldn't kill him; I didn't say I'd stop a mad split-head from doing the job."_

Alan said nothing. If he was being honest with himself, he couldn't say for certain why he was trying to save Dorva's life. The only thing he was sure of, right to his core, was that killing him would not be the end of it. In any case, now that Telek was actively threatening his crew, a part of Alan wanted to disobey Telek just to spite him.

"If you need me to tell you why I'm sparing him," Alan snarled, "then you've not been around humans long enough."

"Then that makes two of us," mocked Telek. He pointed his shotgun away from Alan and straight at Dorva 'Elus, who was still lying on the ground. His other shotgun was still aimed at Alistair.

"Make a move for that magnum again," he began. "And you're Kentucky Fried Poultry. Got it?"

Unnoticed by Telek, Alan had shifted slightly to the right. José realised what this was; his cue to take the shot. He had kept his rifle pointed at Telek since his arrival, unable to get a good shot at Dorva. The way José was feeling, he needed little excuse to shoot at least one Sangheili today.

The shot seemed to ring all around the area as José fired. His bullet found Telek's wrist. Blood gushed as Telek was forced to drop one of his shotguns, taking Alistair out of his line of fire. Another shot rang out, this one planting a bullet firmly in Telek's ankle. Caught by surprise, Telek cursed as he toppled to the floor, seething with pain. He cursed himself for not dealing with the sniper sooner.

Spurred on by Telek's fall, Alistair sprang to his feet and tackled Telek to the ground again. The two rolled over a couple of times, wrestling and wriggling, but the shock to Telek's system at being shot seemed to be great. Alistair threw him away from the square, towards the platform where the taxis were parked. There was now a sheer drop behind Telek, as he had been thrown close to a gap between the parking area and the building José was hiding on top of.

Telek tried to stagger back to his feet, but Alan fired another Medusa shell, once again giving him the feeling that thousands of volts were surging through him at once. The Sangheili staggered backwards as he struggled to regain his composure. His senses overwhelmed, he wasn't paying attention to where he was standing, and to Alan's horror he toppled over the railing and down the drop!

Time seemed to suddenly slow down for Alan as he ran towards the gap. He hadn't intended to kill Telek, even less to send him flying off the building. There was a loud thud from somewhere below as he and Alistair reached the railing. Peering over the side, they saw Telek's body slumped on a set of pipes sticking out of the metal wall about twenty feet below. Alan felt as if something was wrapping tightly round his neck; his brain seemed to have completely frozen in abject, mind-numbing terror.

"I..." Alistair stammered. "I think I can reach him..." With that, Alistair jumped over the railing. As he fell he slammed his claw into the wall and slid down it, tearing large chunks out of the wall. This slowed his descent, and he landed safely beside Telek. He placed two fingers on his neck.

"His pulse is very faint," Alistair called back up. "It's a bloody miracle he's still alive. I'll try to bring him back up top!" With that, he hoisted Telek over his shoulder and began to climb back up the wall, though his progress was very slow on account of only having one claw free.

"Rachel," Alan said faintly into his commlink. "How quickly can you get the shuttle to our position?"

"_In about two or three minutes, Captain,"_ Rachel said. Her voice became very worried when she heard Alan's tone. _"Why? What's wrong?"_

"I'll explain later," Alan replied, trying to bully his brain into concentrating. "Just get here right now, and tell Bishop that we're taking off as soon as we arrive! José, bring Dorva to the landing platform!"

It took over two minutes for Alistair to successfully drag Telek back up to the platform, in which time the small shuttle arrived, hovering just over the platform. José then appeared, his rifle aimed at Dorva's back, keeping him in front. Alan, meanwhile, had retrieved Telek's weapons, including the caster magnum, and was now keeping them very close to him.

"After you, chupaverga," he muttered bitterly, forcing Dorva on board the shuttle before following him. Meanwhile, Alan and Alistair managed to drag Telek's body over to the shuttle, and actually had to throw him on board before climbing in after him. Alan slammed the door shut as the shuttle pulled away, heading back towards the _Serenity_.

"What the-" Rachel was stammering in a high, terrified voice. She had turned to see Telek slumped all over the floor and was now trembling ferociously. "What's - why is he – what the hell have you done?"

"Just gone and declared war on the Fleet Shadow of Fury," Alistair said faintly, hardly daring to believe what they had done himself.

"All my fault..." Dorva was muttering in a low tone. "It's all my fault..."

"Shut up!" José barked. "You're damn lucky I didn't kill you myself, you sack of shit!"

Rachel was still muttering furiously when the shuttle landed back on the _Serenity_, just above the wing. It slid smoothly into its secure position and everyone scrambled out, with José still keeping his gun trained on Dorva and Alan and Alistair carrying Telek between them. Rachel brought up the rear, her face white and dripping with sweat. As they stepped onto the gantry above the cargo bay, Bishop clearly lifted off from the landing platform, as the ship gave a lurch.

"We're dead..." Rachel kept muttering. "We're so dead... We've kidnapped the Supreme Commander... Shri's gonna be pissed..."

"Right now, Telek being here may be the only thing that'll keep us alive," said Alan. He was trying to hide the mounting panic he was feeling himself. Never had he felt such an occasion where everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and he now felt as if he was making up their plans as they went along. They would never be able to save face with the fleet now, not after this; he would be surprised if they didn't annihilate the _Serenity_ and everyone on board the next time they met. He looked over at José, who returned a look of pure disbelief.

"Lock him up in one of the passenger cabins," Alan said, jerking his head at Dorva and trying to steady his voice.

"Gotcha, boss," José said grimly, and he marched Dorva down towards the common area, where the passenger cabins were kept.

"Rachel, Alistair," he said, handing Telek's right arm to Rachel, "patch Telek up in the infirmary and seal the door. There should be some shutter controls for the windows just inside the door; seal those up too."

"We'll try," Alistair said. "Let's just hope they can actually hold him." Alistair and Rachel staggered, carrying Telek between them, down to the common area. Alan could still hear Rachel muttering "I'm so sorry..." to Telek in a worried tone, as if convinced his limp form could hear her.

"Bishop," Alan said into his commlink. The vibrations stopped as the _Serenity_ flew clear of Illium's atmosphere. "How far is it to the nearest UNSC outpost?"

"_A few hours away through slip-space,"_ Bishop replied. _"Why, Captain? What happened down on Illium? Why aren't we meeting with the fleet?"_

"We don't have time for twenty questions, Bishop!" Alan shouted, taking his mingled anger and panic out on the unfortunate pilot. "Just get us to that outpost as quickly as the engines will allow!"

0

Within seconds after the _Serenity _had taken off from the spaceport, the _Shadow of Darkness _was in hot pursuit. Shri had taken command of the ship from Erin and was barking orders to Joli to follow the now renegade cargo ship from the Fleet Shadow of Fury.

"They will realize why we are called Shadow of Fury!" Shri cried. "How dare they shoot and kidnap the Supreme Commander. I will have their Shipmaster's head on a pike!"

"They also have Dorva," said Erin.

"They're aiding in the traitor's escape," said Shri. "Preventing us from doing what is necessary. What was Cujo thinking when he let these witless idiots into the fleet?"

"_Cujo could not have predicted that they would do this," _said Dunkelzahn.

"Rolu," said Shri. "Send a message out to Cujo and the rest of the fleet Shadow of Fury. Tell them that the _Serenity _and its Shipmaster, has disembarked the fleet to find Dorva 'Elus and aid in his escape as well as nearly kill and then kidnap the Supreme Commander Telek 'Heros."

"_But that is not entirely true," _said Dunkelzahn. _"It seemed they were also after Dorva's head."_

"Then why didn't they kill Dorva?" Shri asked. "Why did their Shipmaster let him live?"

"_Alan didn't want Dorva to die," _said the Dragon.

"What reason would he have to keep the traitor alive?" asked Shri.

"_He is showing compassion," _said Dunkelzahn. _"And there must be another way to settle this. One without the shed of blood."_

"You don't know very much about Sangheili culture, do you?" Erin asked. "Even I agree with Shri. Dorva must be executed."

"_You are a doctor," _said Dunkelzahn, shocked by the statement that Erin gave._ "You're supposed to save lives."_

"Dunkelzahn, do you know why doctors are often scorn in the Sangheili culture?" Erin asked. "Besides the fact that we do realize we need doctors to cure ailments and help patch up wounds so that we may continue on fighting, there is a reason why Sangheili fear and loathe doctors. It is because when we draw our scalpels, our knives to cut into the flesh and operate, we dirty our blade with blood. It is a Sangheili tradition that one should never draw blood unless he intends to kill. Doctors go against that tradition by using blades to heal people. However, despite the fact I am a doctor, I am still Sangheili. Even I understand that the traitor must be executed. In our culture, this is showing mercy. By letting him live, Alan is doing nothing more than dooming him to a fate worse than death."

"Dunkelzahn, we are not human," said Shri. "We don't do things that humans do. This is a matter for us to handle, not for this Alan Tyler and not for you. And now, Alan is only making it worse by running away."

"_What else was he suppose to do?" _Dunkelzahn asked. _"He has Telek!"_

"He shouldn't have done what he did," said Shri. "But running only worsens things. Rolu, have you sent out the message?"

"Yes, Commander," said Rolu. "I've sent it."

"Alert me when he replies," said Shri. "Joli, cloak the ship. Rolu, advise the fleet to be cloaked as well when we engage the _Serenity_. Once they have left slipspace, we will fire a warning shot across her bow."

"They will be heading for UNSC space in two hours, Excellency," said Joli. "If they catch us firing at that ship…"

"Then we'll tell all UNSC ships in that sector who that cargo ship just kidnapped," said Shri. "After all, Telek is a UNSC vice-admiral. Alan should have thought of that before taking off for UNSC controlled space."

Rolu turned around: "Excellency, we've got a call from the _Divine Journey_."

"Patch it through," said Shri.

"_Shri!" _Cujo bellowed. _"What in the name of Pete has happened?"_

"Exactly what I've told you," said Shri. "Your Alan Tyler rookie kidnapped Telek after he shot him. They're heading for UNSC controlled space as we speak. ETA 2 hours. We're right behind him."

"_Unbelievable," _said Cujo. _"Alan wouldn't do this. Why would he do this?"_

"Because of Dorva," said Shri. "He has Dorva alive on his ship right now."

"_I said he could go so that his bigot friend José could kill Dorva," _said Cujo.

"Why would this José want to kill Dorva?" she asked.

"_Because he was the only ODST that survived that slaughter Dorva lead them to,"_ said Cujo. _"I told him to be discrete about it. Wait, you mean to tell me that all this time Telek was after Dorva? Was that why he was missing for weeks?"_

"Yes," said Shri. "He knew that if he told you or the others, that you all would want in on the revenge. He defaced us all. Telek knew that if we all came to Dorva, ready to kill him, he would flee again. He had to do it silently. So, he couldn't tell you where he was going. He didn't want you to follow."

"_Son of a bitch…" _Cujo sighed. _"I'll be a Drinol's mother. I cannot believe that he would—wait, yes, I can believe Telek would pull a stunt like this. He pulled one when he went after Miranda! And several others too. Never mind. Is Telek even alive?"_

"Let's hope for Alan's sake that he is," said Shri. "Because if Telek is not, then I will kill Alan Tyler!"

"_Now, just hold on," _said Cujo. _"I'm notifying the outpost right now that a stolen Firefly-class cargo ship is heading over there with the kidnapped Vice-Admiral Telek 'Heros. If we don't get there in time, Alan will be meeting up with a rough welcome once he gets there."_

"Stolen?" asked Shri.

"_Alan and his crew stole that ship in order to find Kiryuu Knight," _said Cujo. _"I like the kid, but I can't let him get away with kidnapping my frat brother and making off with a traitor."_

"This just keeps getting better," sighed Shri. "Where did he steal that ship from?"

"_Your favourite Western Dragon," _said Cujo. _"Lofwyr."_

"Oh—God no, not him," groaned Shri, lowering her head into her hands.

"_Lofwyr _allowed _it to happened," _said Cujo. _"Hint on _allowed_. With one condition, he either brings Kiryuu Knight back, dead or alive, or he doesn't come back at all. And Lofwyr has his guys out looking for the stolen ship right now just in case things go awry. Now, Alan's coming into UNSC space with not only a stolen ship, but also a kidnapped vice-admiral. That boy just doesn't learn anything, does he?"_

"He is not very bright," said Shri. "Alright. I'll see you when we get to the outpost. Alan better hope the UNSC catch him first."

"_Just hold that temper, Shri," _said Cujo as his image clicked off the main view screen.

"Joli," said Shri. "Keep that course steady on that outpost. Push it as fast as the drive can allow it."

"Aye, aye," said Joli.


	5. A Rock and a Hard Place

**A Rock and a Hard Place**

Alan didn't emerge from his cabin for most of the trip through slip-space. Whichever way he looked at it, he knew that he had never been in a worse fix. After the sheer audacity of attacking and kidnapping Telek, he knew that there was no way the fleet would have them back. He kept cursing himself, imagining the look on Cujo's face when he found out what had happened. He didn't doubt that he already knew about it; he doubted even Telek's lot would want to keep this outrage secret from the rest of the fleet. Horrible feelings of guilt writhed in Alan, making him feel like his intestines had been replaced by live serpents.

A thousand plans flitted through his head, each more unlikely to succeed than the last. He had originally hoped to drop Dorva off at the outpost and have him go into UNSC custody, but in his haste he had forgotten that the UNSC was looking out for the 'stolen' _Serenity_ as well. This had ruled out his idea very quickly; he would rather face a thousand irate Sangheili warriors than risk another meeting with Lofwyr, who was just waiting for an excuse for dine on Alan.

He had the idea of passing over the colony only long enough for a shuttle to get away with Dorva and land there, but he ruled this idea out too. He wasn't sure if the shuttles were designed for atmospheric re-entry, and in any case he was sure that Telek's crew would shoot down anything that looked like an escape pod. He held his head in his hands, shaking it in disbelief. In spite of Kiryuu's teachings, he just could not see a way out of this situation which didn't result in his or Dorva's death.

Down in the common room, Alistair and José were sat in armchairs, each with identical worried expressions. Half an hour ago Telek had regained consciousness, and had been demonstrating this by slamming himself against the shutters, smashing the contents of the infirmary and yelling a number of very angry curses. After his most recent threat of skinning the entire crew alive, he had fallen silent.

"He is really pissed..." Alistair said. "While it felt good to smack him about for those turkey jabs, it took all of us to bring him down. I'd hate to try and fight him one-on-one."

It was then that Rachel appeared, walking down the steps from the corridor outside the engine room. She was carrying a tray of the only refreshments she could find; several flavoured protein bricks and a pot of coffee. Alistair and José both looked at her quizzically.

"I..." Rachel squeaked, nudging her head in the direction of the infirmary. "I thought he might be hungry."

"Oh, I'm sure he is," Alistair said, frowning. "You're free to feed him, but you should know that the second one of those shutters opens he'll be out of that room and strangling us all before you can say 'Howya'."

Rachel, looking flustered, instead settled for putting the tray on the long coffee table. She looked like she was on the verge of fainting.

"He was so nice when we met him and Shri," she said. "I don't know what the Captain was thinking... I mean, why a UNSC outpost? Aren't we supposed to be hiding from them?"

"I think I know what he wants to do," Alistair mused. "He wants to put Dorva in UNSC custody. He just wouldn't let it end the Sangheili way. I guess he feels it's the only way to get any real closure for all concerned, seeing Dorva locked up and made to pay for what he did."

"Maybe," José said. "Look where it's got us though; on the run from our own allies. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm starting to agree with Telek; killing the bastard would've been doing him a kindness." He peered in the direction of the passenger cabins, one of which contained Dorva.

"You can't mean that," Rachel said, sounding scandalised. "I didn't want you to kill Dorva either; no matter what he did, it's just not right. I'm glad you decided not to kill him."

"Talking of which," Alistair said, turning to José, who now seemed to be going red in the face. "What made you let him go anyway?"

"I dunno," said José, leaning back in his chair with a thoughtful expression. "It was something in his voice. It reminded me of when I was in the ODSTs, before the massacre on Eden Prime. I once walked in on a buddy of mine, Corp. Garcia, with his gun in his mouth. When I got the gun away from him he told me that he wanted to blow his brains out. The war had really gotten to him, we were getting hammered by the Covenant, and he saw no reason to keep on going. He used the same tone of voice that I heard Dorva using; the tone of someone who's got nothing left to live for. I guess Alan was right; I didn't see the point of killing someone who had already killed themselves.

"I realise now that he's not evil, just stupid and weak. Really, really weak. That's like a punishment in itself, worse than anything I or Telek could have done to him." He paused for a moment and sighed. "It was always easier to see the world in black and white. I don't cope so well with grey."

"Not that easy when it's someone you know, isn't it?" Alistair said sagely.

"This is all my fault..." José suddenly muttered. "I talked the boss into going to that stupid planet. If we hadn't been there we never would have got in Telek's way and..." He fell silent, his face looking uncharacteristically guilty.

There was silence for a few minutes, broken only by the sounds of Telek's footsteps as he paced around the infirmary. Then more footsteps could be heard, and Alan came into view, walking down the steps from the corridor. He didn't say anything to the crew, but instead went towards the passenger cabins. He stopped outside one of the sliding doors, unlocked it and pulled it open.

The passenger cabins were somewhat smaller than the crew cabins, but no less bereft of beds or washing facilities. Dorva was sat on his bunk, and peered up at Alan with a rueful expression.

"Why go to so much trouble to spare me, Shipmaster?" he asked. "You should have just let Telek kill me."

"I couldn't let it end that way," Alan said bitterly. "I think, of all of us, Telek included, José had the most right to decide what would happen to you; he had to see his friends die because of you, after all. He chose to spare you, and I'd hoped that, after our little talk, you'd do the right thing and turn yourself in to the UNSC. The families of those ODSTs deserve closure; they need to see the person responsible caught. Of course, Telek's involvement threw any chance of that out the window..."

There was an uncomfortable silence, as Alan really wasn't sure what to say next. Nothing he had learned could have prepared him for what to say to a traitor, on the run from those Alan was supplied to be allied with, and Alan actively preventing them from doing what they would with him. It was then that Dorva got to his feet.

"I have made my decision, Shipmaster," he said, quietly but firmly. "I will turn myself in to the fleet, and they can do with me as they please."

"What, and let you get your head chopped off?" Alan asked, his eyes wide.

"I don't expect you to understand, Shipmaster," Dorva replied. "I am deeply grateful for what you tried to do, and I understand your intentions. However, it's time to stop running. I must face whatever punishment awaits me, even if it means the end of my own life. This is my request, as your prisoner. I will go to the fleet and face the consequences of my actions. They will never stop hunting you for as long as I ride with you. Handing myself over to them is the only way to end this madness."

Alan was torn. Dorva's offer would now make all of Alan's effort null and void. Yet when he looked at the available options, none of them looked promising. They couldn't run in slip-space forever, and trying to turn him in to the UNSC now seemed impossible. There was only one possible course open to him, and it was one which he deeply dreaded, especially as it went against everything he believed in, but it still seemed the most favourable.

"I'll see what I can do," he said, before locking Dorva up in his cabin again. He didn't stop to look at the others as he strode back up to the flight deck. Bishop was at his usual post, guiding the ship towards its goal. When Alan approached him, the android shook his head.

"Captain," he said, "if I may speak frankly, I must say that I am very disappointed in you for this fiasco."

"I don't blame you," Alan said quietly. "I deserve everything I get..."

He paused for a moment, steadying his nerve. Once he did what he was planning to do, there was no going back.

"How long until we reach the outpost?" he asked.

"Not long," Bishop replied. "About six minutes."

"Fly past it," Alan suddenly said firmly.

"What did you say, Captain?" Bishop said, shocked.

"You heard me," Alan said. "We can still change course in slip-space, can't we? Find a neutral spot to drop out of slip-space!"

"Of... of course, Captain," Bishop said, now thoroughly shocked. He grasped the control stick and inputted new co-ordinates. The ship jolted slightly as it changed course; clearly the slip-space drive wasn't comfortable with going in any direction other than a straight line.

"ETA to new destination twelve minutes," Bishop said. "I've chosen a spot outside of UNSC jurisdiction."

"Right," Alan said firmly, as the rest of the crew piled onto the bridge, wondering what was going on. "Can you open a channel to the _Shadow of Darkness_?"

"I could, Captain," Bishop said uncertainly, "but I don't see-"

"Do it," Alan said firmly, sitting himself down at the co-pilot's console. "Open a channel to the _Divine Journey_ as well, transmitting only. Cujo needs to hear what I'm about to say to them."

0

Cujo sat in his own chair, utterly defeated by what had just happened. He trusted Alan, he went into that god-forsaken city with Alan and nearly became bug food. It was almost like they were brothers in arms, despite the fact that he still did not exactly like the snarky British mutant. However, he knew that he could trust Alan. That is, until Alan kidnapped Telek and made off with Dorva.

"God, I will never hear the end of this," he said. "I was the one who let them into the fleet. Telek's gonna be pissed."

"Shipmaster," began his helmsman. "We have a transmission coming from the _Serenity_."

"Open the channel!" said Cujo.

"_Shadow of Darkness... this is Alan Tyler, Captain of the Firefly-class transport ship Serenity. I'm aware of the reasons for your pursuit, and I am contacting you now... to negotiate the terms of my surrender."_

Suddenly, Shri's face appeared on screen.

"_Are you getting this as well?"_ she asked. _"It seems it's directed to you too."_

"I am," said Cujo.

"_First, let me assure you that Supreme Commander Telek 'Heros is alive, and judging by the racket he made in the infirmary he's none the worse for wear. I had intended to put Dorva in the custody of the UNSC, but he has decided to hand himself over to you. He will accept the consequences of his actions, without protest... and I will do the same."_

There was the sound of indignant, shocked voices coming from Alan's end. A Hispanic-sounding voice said indignantly _"Don't do it, boss! If they gotta kill somebody, they oughta kill me! I talked you into it!"_

"_Be quiet, José!"_ Alan shouted, before resuming a calmer manner. _"When we drop out of slip-space, I will willingly turn myself and Dorva over to you, and will accept whatever punishment you deem fit. Telek will also be returned to you. However, I will only do this on one condition. The Serenity and her crew are not to be harmed. They are to be turned loose and allowed to go on their way. Your quarrel is not with them. I take full responsibility for the events on Illium, and I will accept the consequences. Those are my conditions."_

"_Cujo,"_ began Shri. _"I have weapons locked…"_

"Shri!" said Cujo. "Don't do anything to that ship. Telek put me in charge, so I am in command of this fleet, despite its flag ship returning. Alan was my responsibility, I let him join us."

"_Why?"_ Shri asked. _"How could you let someone like that who would harm our Supreme Commander into the fleet?"_

"Look, I'm sure there was some sort of reason," said Cujo. "Maybe an accident."

"_It was no accident!"_ said Shri. _"I saw him! He had that other human snipe Telek from behind! Then that strange bird creature knocked him down while Alan was using a caster gun much like Telek's to subdue him. Then, Telek fell off a building!"_

Cujo shook his head: "Just let me handle it. Open hailing frequencies to the _Serenity._"

"Yes, Shipmaster," said the helmsman. "Channel open."

"Alan, this is Cujo," said Cujo. "I'm not—I'm not mad at you for what you've done. We're not—mad at you. I have a term as well, though, and then whatever punishment for this will be decided after this has been met. When you drop out of slipspace, I want you to come to my ship and my ship only. The other ships will be around, but I will order them to stand down. Just come to my ship with Telek and Dorva, and your crew. And then, we're gonna have a little talk." He paused for a moment. "But I want you to know right now that this isn't a matter of morality, of what you thought was right or was wrong. Telek entrusted very few members of his crew with various locations of UNSC military worlds so that they could go and do their jobs discreetly when it came to keeping Covenant cruisers away from them. Dorva was one of those crewmembers because he worked closely with Shri and Ysoa. After Dorva betrayed the UNSC, he revealed the location of Reach to the Covenant. This is not only a matter of Sangheili honour, but a matter for the Office of Naval Intelligence which Telek has very high clearance in. Because Telek's a member of ONI, Dorva would have met with the same fate in the UNSC as with us. So, just come to my ship, and we'll have a talk."

For a while, nothing was said, while Alan contemplated this new information. He of course had not witnessed the war first-hand, though he vaguely remembered the feathered serpent Malcho mentioning Lofwyr's near-suicidal reaction to the destruction of Reach. He felt dreadful for betraying Cujo's trust; they had fought together against the Invae, and had been on reasonably good terms in spite of a frosty start. He felt an extra pang of guilt when he heard that Dorva's fate would be the same amongst the UNSC as the Sangheili, though he would still have preferred that Dorva had chosen this fate and showed even some sign of remorse before now. In the end, however, he decided that he would rather face Cujo than the crew of the _Shadow of Darkness_, who doubtless would have Alan's head on a pike before he even stepped out of the cargo bay.

"_Understood, Cujo,"_ he said. _"We'll be dropping out of slip-space within the next ten minutes. Serenity out."_

0

The _Serenity_ finally emerged from slip-space into a rather empty region of space. It was a long way from any kind of star system or planetary bodies. By the standards of space it looked very bleak; it perfectly fit Alan's mood. Right in front of the ship were the other five vessels in the Fleet Shadow of Fury; the _Divine Journey_, the _Righteous Fury_, the _Holy Justice_, the _Regret and Reconciliation_ and the _Transcending Vigilance_. Alan had flown alongside those gigantic capital ships for the past month; now flying directly towards them, he felt a great deal of foreboding.

Behind them, the enormous _Shadow of Darkness_ emerged from slip-space. Only now did Alan see the sheer size of it; it was roughly the same shape as an assault carrier, only much bigger, dwarfing even the _Regret and Reconciliation_. For one horrible moment he thought the ship would open fire on the _Serenity_, but it lay as still as the others, as if silently judging him.

Bishop guided the ship into the hangar provided on the _Divine Journey_. Awaiting them in the large lavender-tinted chamber was what looked to Alan like every Sangheili on the ship. They raised their weapons at the ramp to the cargo bay as it lowered. All of the crew moved down the ramp, with José keeping Dorva in front of him at gunpoint. This, more than anything, was done out of habit; even if Dorva wanted to escape, he would not have got far. Alan, meanwhile, looked utterly defeated.

Dovi 'Canthon, the ship's Field Master, strode towards Alan, his energy sword drawn. At first Alan thought Dovi was going to gut him there and then, but the Sangheili stopped short of him. He peered at Alan with a look of great disappointment, which if anything felt even worse than if Dovi had attacked or shouted at him.

"Alan Tyler," Dovi rumbled, "I'm surprised my sister didn't blast you all into atoms." He looked around at the group, noticing that someone was missing. "Where's the Supreme Commander?"

"He's still in the infirmary," Alan replied. "I didn't think it was safe to let him out before we got in here, not after what happened."

Dovi gestured at two of the Sangheili, motioning for them to move into the ship.

"Bishop, you'd better go with them to open the shutters," Alan said. Bishop nodded and followed the Sangheili inside.

"Follow me," Dovi said gravely. "Your crew must remain here until your 'talk' with Cujo is finished."

Alan nodded, and showing no signs of protest he began to follow Dovi inside the ship.

Once they reached the bridge, the attitude of the bridge crew was a sombre one. Cujo had a deep frown upon his face, his garnet eyes reflecting his dismay towards Alan. He did not appear angry, just as he stated, but he was indeed saddened by what had nearly happened. Dovi stopped and withdrew his sword.

"You're dismissed, Field Master," said Cujo.

"Yes, sir," said Dovi. "Don't rough him up too much."

He turned to peer down at Alan and just gave a sigh of regret. Then, he left the bridge—leaving Alan and Cujo alone. Cujo motioned for Alan to ascend the platform. Alan heavily walked up to him and looked up at the tall Shipmaster. Cujo shook his head in dismay.

"Alan," Cujo began. "I am glad Telek isn't dead. It would have been a lot worse for you if he was. Telek is like a brother to me, more than my superior. Because I'm not an aristocrat, I would have never been able to rise so high in the Covenant. But he always had my back. He was always there to make sure I was never left behind. That is why Telek is out here looking for Kiryuu, risking his own freedom to find Kiryuu, the Chief, and Cortana—because he doesn't leave people behind. Do you understand?"

Alan nodded. "Everything people have said makes him sound like the kind of leader you'd follow into Hell itself," he said.

"He places his own safety below everyone else's," Cujo said. "That's why we are fiercely loyal to him. He even saved Wago—that arrogant asshole—from the Flood, despite the fact that Wago was going to turn him into the Covenant for a reward. And for that, he won Wago's loyalty. What Dorva did, was more than a black mark on all of us. He betrayed the one person who actually could have saved his family if Dorva told him that he needed his family saved. Dorva knew this, but still he betrayed Telek. Then, Reach was glassed. Kiryuu ordered us to help fight against the Fleet Particular Justice—the fleet that Telek once belonged to, in order to stop them from destroying Reach. But even Telek knew it was going to be a suicide mission. Reach was already lost. Kiryuu was going to send us to our graves to make up for Dorva's mistake. That was the only way Telek felt he could repay for the treachery."

Alan looked away, his arms folded and looking almost disgusted. Cujo was sure that Alan thought such a thing was utter insanity, but he clearly could not bring himself to say it. Cujo sighed again and turned away from Alan.

"We're not like you," he said. "We're not Earthlings. We don't do the same things you do, we don't think like you do. You have to understand that."

"How could I not?" Alan sighed. "José reminds me of that fact every day. I don't know if you'll understand, but... When I heard Dorva's confession, I just couldn't let Telek murder somebody who was already paying for his crime. No offence, but I would have thought the Elites would know how that felt better than most."

"I realize what you were trying to do," Cujo said patiently. "Everyday, every single one of us, Telek included, has to walk with the weight on our shoulders that we once belonged to a faction of beings who wanted nothing more than to see humanity vanish from the galaxy. Telek was responsible for the destruction of 76 planets belonging to the UNSC when he was Covenant—when he was under the command of Supreme Commander Otto 'Gamam in the fleet Particular Justice. He had to carry out orders he did not agree with, but he carried them out. And he would have continued to carry them out had he not found out about the truth behind the Covenant, the truth behind the Prophet of Truth. And there is a scar on his chest because he tried to save our species from making the biggest mistake of all. That scar is the Mark of Shame. When he defected, we followed him. We didn't have to. We could have stayed, but we followed him despite the fact we knew that we could very well be killed for our crimes. But he betrayed the Covenant so he could save it. Dorva may have betrayed Telek to save his own family, but he risked dooming his own people to a cold grave. And because of what Dorva did, Earth ships are very few in number. There aren't factories that build ships like there were on Reach. Dorva would have met the same fate with the UNSC as well as with us. Telek only wanted one thing—to get his honour back. That was all. Honour means a lot to us."

Alan wondered if this honour system was why Dorva was turning himself in now; perhaps he felt that by doing so he had a chance to at least 'even the score', so to speak. He kept his theory to himself, for right now it was the one consolation he had. Cujo took in a deep breath.

"No doubt Telek has figured out something about you, Alan," said Cujo. "He is very intelligent. One of the best Spec Ops Commanders in the Covenant aside from Rtas before Telek was made a Shipmaster. In order to save face with my own commander, I will have to tell him your secret. I am about to tell a member of ONI about you, who you are, where you came from, what the CCI did to you—everything. I will have to tell him about how we met. He already knows what I did in Antarctica. He was the one who ordered it, by the way. He never liked Kiryuu, and I think he still doesn't. Despite that, he won't leave Kiryuu to his fate. But he's got ONI stationary, and he may put that to good use when I tell him who you are. Now that he is back, your fate with the fleet will be left up to his decision. My suggestion when we bring him in is that you have better listen to what he has to say—and give him a reason not to turn you in to the UNSC. We are not criminals to the UNSC, only to Sanghelios. In fact, when all of this is over, I'm sure once Telek returns to the UNSC with Kiryuu and the Chief, HICOM will make some sort of an excuse for Telek to the Sangheili High Council—and by luck—that'll get him off the hook.

"If you don't want to be Lofwyr's snack, think about what you are going to say when we talk to Telek. And don't—try anything stupid like that stunt you pulled."

"What am I supposed to say, Cujo?" Alan asked. "I fucked up; there's no two ways about it. I don't see how he's not going to turn me in after this."

"I can't tell you that," Cujo said wearily. "That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself."

Alan closed his eyes, shaking his head. He was now trembling from head to toe. He was particularly worried about having to tell Telek what he was; if Telek decided to turn him in to the UNSC (which Alan was certain he would), then he was sure he faced the prospect of being stuck on a dissection table or in a test tube from here to eternity. Kiryuu had tried hard to prevent that, and one mistake would now see it all undone. That made Alan feel a strong urge to be sick; he had undone Kiryuu's work and would not be able to fulfil his promise to find him...

That was when he remembered that he knew something that he was sure not even Telek knew. With that said, he didn't know what Telek could do with that information or even if he would believe him. With difficulty, he tried to stop himself shivering as he looked back over at Cujo.

"Well, if it has to be done, it needs to be done now," he said. "Whatever Telek's got in mind for me, I want it over with. No sense delaying the inevitable, is there?"

"Let's go," said Cujo. There was no smile in his tone. He just led Alan back outside towards the hangar. As they came to the hangar, there was the beefy, barrel-chested, giant of an Elite Supreme Commander Telek 'Heros standing among the crew of the _Serenity_. He did not show any of that friendliness that he had towards Bishop and Rachel before. As far as he was concerned at this time, they were accomplices. Those cyan-blue eyes turned towards Alan and he felt them dig straight into his heart. His gold armour gleamed brightly in the dim light. Alan saw the white image of Calico Jack's flag emblazoned on a shoulder plate. Though Telek was wearing the gold and copper colours of a Supreme Commander, his harness was the assault style instead of the combat style that the other Shipmasters wore. The only thing that remained in the combat style was his helmet. He wore no mandible armour, so Alan could clearly see the scowl across his face. Alan could tell that Telek was really the commander of this fleet for when Cujo slowly approached him, even he gave a salute. If Alan and his crew ever had a future with the Fleet Shadow of Fury, it would be Telek who will hold command over them from now on.

Cujo took hold of Alan's shoulder and brought him closer to Telek. Alan's feet were disobeying. He did not want to come any closer to the nearly 10-foot tall Sangheili for fear that he was about to be slice in half. Already, Telek's weapons had been returned to him. Manda's modified caster magnum hung on the brown leather holster around Telek's hip. The two shotguns crossed his back while on the other side of his hip was his sword emitter. Telek turned from Alan and then looked at Cujo expectedly.

"Well," he began, breaking the silence. "You gonna tell me what the fuckin' hell is goin' on around here? Who the hell are these jokers? Why the fuck did they attack me, and who gave you authorization to allow them to go off on their own to search for one of my warriors?"

"I couldn't exactly give you any sort of warning where they were going," said Cujo. "You didn't leave a calling card, Telek…I mean—Excellency."

"Well, that was my mistake," Telek said. "And I will own up to it. But that is beside the point. Who are they?"

"This is—this is—Kiryuu's grandson," Cujo replied. "Alan Tyler."

"What?" Telek bellowed. He raised a gloved hand up to his head. Then, he looked at Alan. "Well, there is a family resemblance, but it falls short on appearances. Obviously, Kiryuu's brilliance didn't carry over."

"He's kinda—sorta Kiryuu's grandson," said Cujo.

"He is or he isn't," Telek said.

"In the very early 21st Century," Cujo began. "There was an agency responsible for the crisis and control of when Godzilla made landfall in Japan. Very inventive, it's called the Crisis Control Institution. CCI. It was lead by the minister of defence Mitsuo Katagiri. He took humans off of the street and put them through a program, splicing them with Godzilla's cells—Kiryuu's son's cells—to hopefully find a way to psychically control the monster."

Telek blinked: "Go on."

"Well, no one knew of the project," said Cujo. "None of Earth's governments knew about it, not even the UN—which then became the UNSC later on once they went to space. Alan was one of these experimental subjects. He was spliced with G-cells. And he escaped. Kiryuu found him, of course, found out about him, made contact with him—and ever since then has been calling him his grandson. Well, Alan's condition worsened and Kiryuu had no choice but to freeze him until his condition became stable again—permanently stable. When you sent me to find out what Kiryuu was hiding in Antarctica, I not only found Kiryuu's son slumbering in the ice, but Alan in a cryo-tube. He awoke as well. Then, Kiryuu came down, discovered what we did and sent both of us on a mission into Chicago to find that—blue crystal that you now have in your possession."

"Dunkelzahn!" Telek bellowed. He looked over at Alan. "So, you're the one who found Dunkelzahn. Well, I have to thank you for that, boy; he's been more trouble than I had bargained for. And he's a terrible navigator. He's the one who pretty much stuck it into my head to go on this wild goose chase after Kiryuu in the first place. But, I agreed to it because I'm a chump for being the chivalrous type."

"Telek," began Cujo. "Kiryuu's been hiding Alan's identity ever since the 21st Century. He's made it to where no one knows what Alan really is. You're a vice-admiral with ONI level 5 clearance, the highest in the Office of Naval Intelligence. What are you going to do with him?"

"He stole a ship from Lofwyr," said Telek. "As far as the UNSC is concerned, the guy who built all the ships in Kiryuu's fleet. And he kidnapped Lofwyr's crew."

"Lofwyr allowed it," said Cujo.

"And then, he helped the traitor who lead the Covenant to that very planet that Lofwyr used to build all those ships," Telek continued; if he had heard what Cujo had said he was pretending he hadn't. "What am I gonna do about it? Tell Lofwyr, that's what! I'm gonna turn this science experiment in to the UNSC, file a 30-page report on it for ONI, send it CC to Lofwyr, and let's see what the old Dragon and Terrence Hood have to say about it!" He looked back at Alan. "And let me tell you something, kid, it ain't gonna be pretty. You'll be lunch, that's certain. Kiryuu's not here anymore, he's not gonna be here to protect you."

"Alan," said Cujo. "Now's the time to say something." He turned to Telek. "At least let him defend himself."

"Fine," said Telek. "I'm in a listenin' mood. It had better be good. Because if it isn't, once I get back on my ship, I'm towing yours into UNSC space, captain."

Up to this point, Alan had been frantically trying to think of any kind of defence he could use. However, he knew deep down that he could not defend his actions on Illium one iota, at least not in any way that Telek would want to hear. Cujo's warning about Sangheili culture was still very fresh in his head. Now, however, his panic was giving way to a reckless hope. Telek had just mentioned something that could really help him out. Now it was no longer about what he could say to defend his actions; it was about what he could now offer the fleet to try and make it up to them.

"Dunkelzahn's with the fleet, you say?" he asked, trying to sound more politely curious than surprised and relieved.

"Yeah, for all the good it's done us," Telek rumbled, scornfully. "Why, you expect him to haul your ass outta this one?"

"I'm not expecting anything of the sort, Telek," Alan said, hoping that his refusal to use any titles would show that he was not willing to let Telek bully him or dictate the terms of the meeting. Beside him Cujo shook his head, while Telek's mandibles twisted into a sneer, clearly enjoying the thought of adding sheer cheek to the list of charges.

"I can't defend what I did on Illium," Alan said firmly.

"You figure that out by yourself?" Telek spat, but Alan held his ground. "Well, at least Kiryuu taught you some smarts."

"However," Alan continued, undeterred, "I can try to make it up to you. You've been having a lot of problems finding Kiryuu, right? You said it yourself."

Telek looked as if he wanted to run Alan through with his sword there and then; his fingers actually jerked in the direction of the emitter for a moment. Instead, he gave an odd grunt of acknowledgement. Alan folded his arms, looking at Telek dead in the eye.

"I know that Kiryuu's alive," he said boldly. "What's more, if Dunkelzahn's willing to help, I have an idea for how to find him."

There was an outbreak of muttering among the gathered crowd, giving Alan the impression of being surrounded by hundreds of snakes. He glanced over at the _Serenity_ crew, who all had identical looks of shock on their faces. There was something that Alan had not told them, and he had the feeling that the story was now about to come out.

"You're in no place to be cracking jokes, kid," Telek snarled.

"I'm not," Alan said, then he turned to Cujo. "Do you remember when you sent us out to Eletania?"

Cujo nodded. "I read your report, but you didn't say much. You were unconscious most of the time, according to your crew. I looked through the data you gathered and I got the feeling you omitted something."

"I did, and you'll have to forgive my reluctance to share something which put me through a great deal of stress," Alan said. "That monster from the Far Realm we mentioned did more to me than just knock me out though. It trapped me in some kind of dream-prison. That's the best way I can describe it. I seriously thought about staying there as well; everything seemed hunky-dory. I figured out the truth though, and I saw Kiryuu as well."

Telek gave a loud, derisive snort. "Coincidence," he said.

"Hardly," Alan pressed on, his tone becoming bolder and more confident. "He said he was stuck in a nightmare too, and I was talking to some sort of projection, sent to find help. I think I know why he was able to find me, and if I'm right Dunkelzahn can use that to his advantage. We can snap Kiryuu out of whatever nightmare's got him and bring him home. I promised him that much."

The muttering began once again. Alan saw the _Serenity_ crew looking positively agog. Rachel, who had feared the worst during Telek's ranting and had buried her face in José's chest, now had the faint flicker of a smile on her face. Telek approached Alan, stopping just a few inches short of him. He positively towered over Alan, but the mutant tried to stop himself shaking. He could not afford to lose his nerve now, not while there was still a slim chance.

"Let's say I buy into this hoopidy-doo bullshit," said Telek. "What if you're wrong?"

"If I'm wrong, then I'll go to Lofwyr's lunch table," Alan said. "I won't make a fuss. Hell, I'll even try to enjoy it."

Telek leaned over to Alan's eye level and looked at him straight—face to face. For a long while, there was nothing. He did not say anything else, just studied him, reading the pulsations of Alan's slit pupils, the quivering in Alan's facial muscles under the gray scales. It was a Spec Ops Sangheili tactic in gathering information from a prisoner. Telek had to know if Alan was just bluffing to hopefully get himself out of being Lofwyr's main course. Telek cocked a brow and then growled, backing away.

"Shri," he began contacting her through the comlink. "I need you to be the voice for Dunkelzahn. I want you to repeat to him word for word what I am about to say."

"_Yes, Excellency," _said Shri.

"Tell Dunkelzahn that the little Godzilla experiment states he can help find Kiryuu," said Telek. "And how he can help find Kiryuu is that he said he saw Kiryuu in a dream world brought on by some alien from a place called the Far Realm."

"_Excellency," _began Shri. _"Dunkelzahn says the Far Realm is where King Ghidorah came from."_

"Oh, that's just peachy!" Telek growled. "Was this creature working for King Ghidorah, or one of his damned monsters? The last thing I need to deal with is another version of the Flood."

"_He doesn't know," _said Shri.

"Well, according to Alan," Telek continued. "Kiryuu projected himself into Alan's mind while he was in that dream world and warned him that what he was seeing was nothing more than a fantasy. Then, Kiryuu said he was trapped in his own dream world."

There was a long silence, then Shri came back.

"_Telek, you're not gonna like this," _said Shri. _"But Alan may be able to do more than just sniff out Kiryuu. Even Dunkelzahn knew of what Alan was. Kiryuu told him in the mid 21__st__ Century. Those G-Cells inside of Alan allow him to home in on anyone who possesses G-Cells, Godzilla and Kiryuu included. The program was designed for him to not only home in on the G-Cells, but home in on the mind of that being. Dunkelzahn said that his visions were always incomplete, but with Alan's help, he could give you a better idea where Kiryuu is—and if not, knock him out of that dream world. In fact, if what he says is true, he can even tell you who's holding Kiryuu captive."_

"Thank you, Shri," said Telek. "That'll be all." He turned to Alan and to the rest of the crew of _Serenity_. "Alright, you little snot-nosed brat, you and your stolen crew are going on my ship right now! No arguments, is that clear? You will take me to my ship on your ship and then your ship is grounded for the duration. Dunkelzahn is waiting right now on my bridge and if this works, you have just bought some time for your usefulness, if not, I'm sending all of you packing back to the UNSC. Cujo, you will take Dorva to the brig and keep him there until we settle this first. Now that I have him, I can do with him whatever I please when I choose to do it." He looked around at the still forms. "Well, come on, let's go, chop, chop!"

"Right!" Cujo said. "Dovi, take the traitor to the brig. Alan, good luck. You're under Telek's command now. Don't say anything idiotic that might shorten your time on board his ship—and that goes double for José. Telek has a habit of slicing smart mouths into pieces and tossing the chunks out the airlock. You're pretty much already in hot water, don't get any further on his bad side. And one other thing, don't ever insult his ship. Like the _Shade of Darkness _before it, Telek's married to that ship."

"Insult a ship that looks like it can blast me into atoms a hundred times over?" Alan asked, arching a brow. "Cujo, off the record, how daft do you think I am?"

"Honestly?" Cujo replied, in a similarly snide tone. The pair looked at each other for a moment, then Alan let out a chuckle, releasing some of the pent-up tension from this encounter.

"Seriously, Cujo, you don't need to worry," Alan said. "I don't plan on making Telek any madder than he is, and I'll keep José under control even if I have to lock him in his cabin." With one last reassuring salute, he headed up the ramp to the cargo bay. He turned to look at the others, who hardly dared to believe that Alan had earned them a reprieve.

"Alright, team, you heard the man!" Alan suddenly shouted in a stronger, commanding voice. "Let's get the old girl on the road! Bishop, you take the _Serenity_ out and across to the _Shadow of Darkness_, nice and easy. The rest of you see if the infirmary can be salvaged; there must be some spare medical supplies in those crates somewhere."

"At once, Captain," Bishop nodded.

"Aye-aye, sir!" Rachel proclaimed.

"You got it, Captain," Alistair said, giving a thumbs-up.

"I'm on it, boss," José said.

The crew ran off to their respective places. Alan closed the airlock and the ramp, before heading through to the common area. Alistair, Rachel and José were working to clear as much of the wreckage as they could, while Telek was peering around the common room with a look of utter disbelief.

"Is this a spaceship or the damn Waltons' house?" he grunted.

Alan, remembering Cujo's warning of what happened to people who insulted Telek's ship, decided not to fire an insult back. He was almost as attached to the _Serenity_ as Telek was to the _Shadow of Darkness_, but he decided he liked his body parts where they were.


	6. Out of the Frying Pan

**Out of the Frying Pan...**

The journey to the _Shadow of Darkness_ was short and uneventful. Telek spent it making several disparaging comments about the state of the _Serenity_, how he would never let anyone on his ship get away with such tardiness, that sort of thing. When he reached the engine room and saw the modifications made to the drive core with Sangheili technology, he shook his head and walked straight back out. He knew that Otto had given the crew the slip-space drive, but after the messy incident with Dorva he was now much less taken with the idea. The crew did their best to not look uncomfortable around him, though José had been on the point of making obscene gestures when he thought Telek wasn't looking. A warning glance from Alan stopped this; the last thing he wanted was for any of his crew to give Telek reason to harm them.

Bishop smoothly guided the ship into the cavernous hangar. If a regular assault carrier could have fit one UNSC frigate, then a super carrier's could fit two and still leave ample room for other heavy equipment. The small cargo ship came to rest on the floor, right in front of another, unfriendly-looking reception party. The cargo ramp lowered, and this time it was Telek who stepped out first, followed by the _Serenity_ crew.

At the head of the reception committee was Shri, dressed in silver armour and with her sword drawn. Rachel immediately averted her eyes away from Shri, looking guilty; she was sure that Shri would be just as unforgiving as Telek was. Indeed, as the crew descended the ramp, Shri let out a loud snarl, her mandibles quivering, and charged as quick as a flash in Alan's direction. Alarmed, Alan was about to draw a weapon to defend himself, but it was Telek who stopped her, quickly grabbing her sword arm as she passed and almost causing her to be dragged backwards.

"Now, hold on, Shri," said Telek. "I'm not gonna kick them out the airlock just yet. These guys might have some usage to me just yet."

"Too bad," said Shri. "I would have loved to skin the one with the tail for his idiocy."

Alan would have dearly loved to have asked "Which one?" since Alistair also had a tail, but he held himself in.

"Let's just see if this will work," Telek said. "It's a big galaxy, and Kiryuu's a small little speck floating around in it. If he can cut the time to find Kiryuu short, I'm all for it."

"Still," Shri began. "At least let me…"

"No," said Telek. "Besides, it still may be a long journey and I'll need to entertain myself. I'm sure Alan or his crew wouldn't mind a little bit of friendly sparring." He swung back around back at Alan, grinning sinisterly. "Would you, Captain?"

"Um, no, Supreme Commander," said Alan. While he did mind very much, he didn't dare to disagree with Telek at this time.

"That's what I thought," Telek chuckled, placing his hand on the mutant's shoulder. "Shri, I want armed guards around the _Serenity_ at all times. Make sure no one enters or leaves the ship. I don't care what they need—it isn't that important at this time. If it is, then it has to be approved by me, is that understood?"

"Yes, Excellency," said Shri.

"Alright," said Telek. "You will all remove your weapons. They will be stored in our armoury and kept under lock and key."

Alan removed his two weapons – his caster revolver and the emitter of his Technomantic whip – from their holsters. Without these, on a ship full of Sangheili that were looking for any excuse to polish him off, he felt extremely vulnerable. However, keeping Telek in a good mood was his only chance, so he turned to look at the others. José looked positively scandalised; he treasured his own ODST-issue weaponry greatly, even going so far as to name his assault rifle 'Attila'.

"Alright, you heard him," Alan said firmly. "Get them off. And yes, José, I know about the knives you keep in the lining of your trousers. Get shot of the lot."

Without any argument, they all removed their weapons and handed them over to the awaiting Sangheili guards. Telek lead them up several grav-lifts to the bridge. The bridge was much larger than the one that Alan saw on the _Shadow of Intent._ Telek stepped forward to his command chair and sat in it, swinging it around and then raising it up with the gravity lift below it. He looked to Alan and his crew and then pressed a button on his chair, opening a panel from it. Then, what rose from the panel was a cyan blue, heart-shaped crystal.

"Dunkelzahn," said Telek. "We have guests."

Then, a glowing mist of cold air flowed out from the crystal. It swerved around Telek's chair and then took shape behind him, coiling around the base of the gravity lift. The form of the mist became a dracoform—a large Western Dragon with silvery scales and blue markings.

"Alan, I believe you know the 52nd President of the United Canadian American States," said Telek. "Dunkelzahn Mountainshadow."

"_Hello, Alan Tyler," _said Dunkelzahn. _"It's been a long time. But it is good to see that you are well."_

"As well as can be expected anyway," Alan said, looking very relieved to see a friendly face. "Considering the circumstances, I mean."

Behind him, the rest of the crew looked utterly astonished. Only Bishop seemed to be remaining calm, his face now full of curiosity.

"He's..." José stammered. "He's a- a- a- he's a-"

"A self-sustaining conscious vapour," Bishop chimed in, looking thoroughly impressed. "A ghost, if you will, even if it seems a rather crude term..."

"Bloody hell..." Alistair breathed.

Rachel just remained silent, gazing at Dunkelzahn with the upmost awe.

"I didn't talk about my little sojourn in Chicago, did I?" Alan asked. "I'll have to tell you about it sometime." He noticed Telek's sceptical expression and turned back to Dunkelzahn, becoming more business-like. "We'll trade stories and whatnot later. Right now, I take it you know what I'm about to ask you?"

"_Yes," _said Dunkelzahn. The Free Spirit Dragon floated gracefully down towards the humanoids in front of him. His form swirled once more only to shrink down to a more human shape—a rather short man with curly hair and a very ugly looking blue suit. He approached Alan and motioned him to kneel down.

"Careful now," Telek warned Alan. "He has cold hands."

Dunkelzahn shook his head and touched Alan's face. Telek just leaned onto his hand, looking rather bemused by this scene.

"Be sure to read his palm while you're at it, Casper," he said.

"Do you mind?" Dunkelzahn asked. He drew closer to Alan and stared into his eyes. "I want you to think back to when you last saw Kiryuu. I want you to picture him vividly in your mind as if he were standing there before him like he did in your dream. Do you see him?"

"Yes," said Alan.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"Outside the Yokohama base," said Alan. "I found him—he was dressed like a tramp…" 

Telek raised his head: "A tramp?"

"He looked weak, like he was fighting something," said Alan.

"What did he say to you?" Dunkelzahn asked.

"He told me that the world I was in was not real," said Alan. "He mentioned his captor was keeping him in a dream world too. He said he was losing himself to it."

As Dunkelzahn peered deeper, he saw the image of Kiryuu inside Alan's mind. It was as real as Alan was. Kiryuu looked sad and in pain. Tears flowed from his eyes. Then something reached out and grabbed him. Tentacles, familiar looking tentacles wrapped around Kiryuu. Then, a gold form rose up behind him with three draconic heads. Kiryuu looked up and stared into the gleaming red eyes of the central head.

_Eid l'liw Sangheili dna Snamuh. Eno sa hcram ew, edis yb edis. Rehtegot ekirts ew fi l'laf l'lahs Htrae eht, eid l'lahs efil l'la htrof os._

Telek felt a buzzing in his head as if something was picking at it, something that had picked at it before. Dunkelzahn grimaced when he saw the face. Orange, gold, and gray ooze flowed all around Kiryuu, tying him tightly, binding him to the monster. Telek leaned down, placing his hands on his head. Dunkelzahn continued to focus on the form as it took a more solid shape, spreading two enormous batwings.

_Wandering minds, wandering thoughts, searching for him, but all for naught…_

Dunkelzahn backed away, gasping when he realized who it was.

"There is your answer," Dunkelzahn said, turning back to Telek. "I know you felt him."

"God damn it!" Telek growled. "He's back. Gravemind is back."

"He is the one who has Kiryuu, Telek," said Dunkelzahn. "He always had him, ever since the Ark was destroyed."

Alan held his head in his hands. He now had a splitting headache, but he could have sworn that, while Dunkelzahn was peering into him, he had heard a low whisper. The sound had chilled him to his marrow, though he could not explain why. Now Dunkelzahn and Telek were both discussing terms which he didn't recognise.

"With all due respect, Dunkelzahn," he said, "what are you talking about? Who or what is Gravemind, and what's this about an Ark?"

"_You mean to say that Cujo never told you?"_ Dunkelzahn asked, shifting back into his more familiar dragon form and looking puzzled. Alan shook his head.

"He kept saying that not knowing would be a kindness, even if I had the clearance," he said. "Some of the fleet mentioned something called the Flood though; Malcho even mentioned it in front of Cujo and was promptly told to keep quiet. Everyone who's mentioned it seems scared to death of it."

"_With good reason, I assure you,"_ said Dunkelzahn. _"Gravemind's involvement, while not unexpected, complicates matters considerably. Given our present circumstances I believe that hiding such information behind 'protocol' is pointless. Telek and I can tell you what you need to know on the way."_

"I might as well just get it over now," said Telek. "Alan, no doubt you've heard the name King Ghidorah."

"Oh, _him_," snarled Alan. "The first time I saw him was when he attacked England back in 2005. Damn-near wiped out the whole country before he was forced back." He folded his arms and a dark look crossed his face. "Kiryuu told me he'd be back someday; not even the Oxygen Destroyer could kill him."

"Well, Gravemind is another name that King Ghidorah is known by," Telek continued. "I suppose Cujo has never told you about the Flood."

"He's only mentioned it by name," said Alan. "But he never gave any specific details. Not even the Arbiter gave any details as to what it was. Only that it was a parasite."

"Then, I will show you the Flood," said Telek. He pressed a few buttons on the arm of his chair and a holographic screen appeared before Alan and his crew. On the screen was a little creature that looked like a jellyfish with feelers and legs. "This is a Flood Infection Form. Inside this little critter is a retrovirus created from King Ghidorah's cells 40,000 years ago by an ancient species known as the Forerunners. The retrovirus was originally programmed to infect King Ghidorah and kill him, however, the scientist involved became possessed by King Ghidorah and turned on his own people—becoming what you might have heard called a Liche."

"That I do know about," said Alan. "I've seen at least two of them. The one in Knoxville looked a lot like he did back then; it tried to get this massive gun working to kill Kiryuu if it looked like its master was in trouble. The other one was a gargoyle in New York-"

"Demona," Alistair suddenly said, his eyes narrowing. "Brooklyn told me the whole story when he arrived here on his Timedance. He said she'd been possessed by some kind of really big monster, using parasites to make thousands of followers. Was that King Ghidorah?"

"Exactly," Alan said. "The Destroyer parasite damn-near killed us all, and he was responsible for that." He looked back at the hologram of the Infection Form, his arms folded. "This thing sounds all too similar."

"King Ghidorah used his Liche to reprogram the retrovirus into the thing you are looking at now," said Telek. "Once this little bugger latches onto a victim—this happens…"

The simulation began to run of an Infection Form leaping onto a Sangheili warrior and latching onto its neck. The warrior cried out in pain, its neck began to bend over, falling limp. The little jellyfish burrowed into the chest cavity of the Elite, and protruded its feelers through the neck hole. A carapace grew on the body of the Sangheili as large tentacles painfully jutted out of its right arm. Telek paused the image.

"That is a Combat Form," he said. "This one was formed from a Sangheili. Humans can be made into Combat Forms as well. The Flood search for sentient life forms, beings that are capable of sustaining it. We are its food. When the body becomes damaged enough, the Flood mutate it even more…"

Another image appeared of a stumpy torso and short legs with a balloon top and tentacles.

"This is a Carrier Form," said Telek. "Inside that balloon are hundreds of Infection Forms and spores ready to explode on a person and infect them. The only way of getting rid of the Flood in combat is to shoot them with ballistic weaponry or burn them. Covenant weapons are almost useless against them except for the Fuel Rod Cannon." He produced another image. "When the Flood obtain enough mass and knowledge, they form a Brain Form—which can access the knowledge of its hosts to even fly ships. It's a virus that can spread through the galaxy on its own and it is sentient. Here's the killer though. Once they piled on the corpses, they begin to form King Ghidorah's new body—a disgusting being that nightmares can't even describe."

The image grew out in order to give Alan and the others a good view of a creature that looked like a gigantic tentacled Venus Fly Trap plant. Flood spores spewed from its mouth.

"There he is, Alan," Telek said in a growling disgusted tone. "That is King Ghidorah of the 26th Century. He requires bodies. If enough bodies can be turned by his virus, he'll have enough to reform a new body of—well, the form you know of the best. No doubt the form you have seen, the form that Kiryuu had faced—that form was a previous Gravemind who had gotten all that he needed despite the Halos firing."

Another image came up, one of a ring with mountains, seas, deserts, and forests on the inside of the surface.

"This is Halo," said Telek. "It is an installation created by the Forerunners for one purpose, sterilization. 40,000 years ago, all seven Halos were fired, each one having a maximum range of 25,000 light years. And all life within 3 radii of the galactic centre was eliminated. The Forerunners did save some species and took them to the Ark." Another image came up, one showing a massive space station with a planetoid at the centre and 8 points shooting out like a star. On the surface of the station were forests, deserts, mountains, and oceans. "This station is located outside the Milky Way Galaxy. This is where Kiryuu, the Chief, and Cortana were last seen. About a year ago, after the planet Reach was destroyed, I sort of tricked Captain Jacob Keyes to take the _Pillar of Autumn _to a Halo installation. There, I convinced Master Chief John-117 to destroy the Halcyon cruiser and blow up the ring itself. You see, the Covenant believed that the Halos were doorways to something called the Divine Beyond where they believed the Forerunners went. They wanted to join the Forerunners by travelling what they called the Great Journey. When all 7 rings were lit, the Great Journey would begin, as per Covenant dogma. I discovered on a mission while I was still within the Covenant that—that belief was untrue. The Halos were massive weapons that destroyed life, not grant immortality to the faithful. So, I tried to warn my people of the impending danger, and I was punished for it. That's why I joined the UNSC. However, I never told President Knight or ONI what the Halos did. And Jacob went there without knowing. He released the Flood on that Halo, and it cost him his life. When that Halo was destroyed, my former commander, Otto 'Gamam—'Gamamee was then demoted for its destruction and for my escape. He was stricken of his rank and also scarred with the Mark of Shame. Until he finally realized I was right all along, he wanted my head on a pike—much like me wanting Dorva's head.

"Well, the Covenant finally came to its senses, well, half of it anyway and the Sangheili were cast out because of the Prophet of Regret's death. I finally convinced Otto the truth and was sent to Sanghelios to fetch a fleet to help out with Earth because Truth found out about the Ark. Gravemind—King Ghidorah gained control of the Covenant Holy City of High Charity, fixed its slipspace drives and followed us into the portal from New Mombasa. We actually joined forces with King Ghidorah to defeat Truth, but then Gravemind betrayed us again. So, we had to destroy him as well—at least attempt to. A new Halo—the one that was going to replace the one I helped blow up, was being made at the Ark. It was unfinished and we knew that if we activated it in its unfinished state, it would destroy everything including itself. So, we did and raced as fast as we could off of it. That was when as the portal was closing, half of the ship we were in did not make it through. That half had Kiryuu, Cortana, and the Chief on it. The half Otto and I were on made it back and crashed into the Indian Ocean. But I thought we destroyed King Ghidorah, at least his body again. Of course, Manda told me that nothing can kill King Ghidorah. And he's right. There are still Halo Installations out there, and who knows how many Forerunner shield worlds that contain Flood out there. So therefore, he will always exist."

He leaned back and sighed, holding his head.

"Those horrible creatures took the lives of my men," he said. "And now he has Kiryuu. I should have known he had Kiryuu all this time." Telek sighed. "It was always about Kiryuu. But if you want to know, the Forerunners left a legacy. They entrusted Humanity with the single job of killing King Ghidorah. That is why Technomancy was passed to you. And that is why I believe King Ghidorah takes such interest in your planet. He wants you gone."

He rose up from his chair.

"Kid," Telek said. "I don't like Kiryuu—I mean I really don't like Kiryuu, but the last thing I want is for him to end up in the clutches of King Ghidorah. Believe me, I know what it's like to be possessed by that demon. He turned me into one of his Liches too after his Flood virus infected me. However, my compromised nervous system due to ethanol poisoning didn't make me appetising. But that didn't stop King Ghidorah from using me. Any hope of rescuing Kiryuu from that monster is news to me."

"_Perhaps," _Dunkelzahn began. _"Starting where you last saw him. The Ark."_

"The Ark is a hundred thousand light-years away," sighed Telek.

"_It's a start," _said Dunkelzahn.

"It'll take several months to get there without the space bridge," said Telek. "At maximum speed."

"Couldn't we use this 'space bridge' again then?" Alan asked.

"That's outta the question," Telek murmured. "It was damaged by the excessive feedback from our return trip. The only thing it's good for now is scrap metal."

Alan's brow furrowed and he ran a claw through his hair. He tried to think of some other way that they could reach the Ark without it taking months to do so. He thought back to the gateway technology that had been developed on Eletania, and now deeply regretted that Wago had glassed the site to destroy the demon that had come out of the portal. That technology would have been very useful to them now.

"Even if the spacebridge was operative," Telek continued. "It still would take a Key Ship in order to activate it—and a key to unlock the Key Ship's power. Unfortunately, Truth had the only remaining Key Ship available and Malcho—our favourite Feathered Serpent had the key. The Tower of Atlantis. Truth kidnapped Malcho and made him activate the portal to the Ark taking the tower with him. When we destroyed the Ark, we destroyed the last remaining Key Ship. All other Key Ships from what I managed to gather through my exploits in gathering Forerunner intel—have been destroyed during their war with King Ghidorah 40,000 years ago. Here's the problem. I don't know where the Ark is, but I do know where we can find out."

"And where is that?" Alistair asked.

"We'll have to go to a Halo," said Telek. "I know of one. It shouldn't be that far from here—a day maybe. Just don't go poking around any bunkers that look like holding cells or armouries. Okay? That's what Jacob did and look what happened to him. Each Halo contains a map to the Ark and coordinates we can use to jump to slipspace to. It's in their library where the Index is—the key that basically turns the Halos on. Because one Halo has been destroyed and the Ark disabled, the other Halos cannot fire—well in theory. Just don't go poking around in places you're not supposed to. Especially if there is a containment area in that Halo. And you'll know if that Halo's trying to form a Gravemind—the Flood will act very intelligent in their fighting tactics. King Ghidorah trains blood thirsty soldiers who care for nothing of their wellbeing, but the survival of the hive. You get infected, you're dead, let your friend kill you. Believe me, you're better off that way. Even if I've survived him, I have to listen to his song constantly. I'm sure there's one among you who know what I mean."

He looked at Alistair.

"Don't think I can't smell his taint on you, bird boy," said Telek. "Takes one to know one—that's what Kiryuu said once when he realized that King Ghidorah was taking control over me. Because even he was a Liche of that demon."

"I know," said Alan. "I was there when it happened. I saw what King Ghidorah did to Kiryuu."

Telek sat back down on his chair: "Then, you know what we're up against. Only you've faced him once he's used his blasted virus to form his new body. The Flood virus, from what I understand, works more efficiently than just absorbing souls from the dead. He can take their souls and their flesh at the same time. And he's got a stronger hold on our galaxy than you think."

He turned back to Rolu and Joli: "Joli, put these coordinates in, we're going to Installation 05."

"It wasn't King Ghidorah that got me though..." Alistair muttered. Letting himself be misled by Ishran was still a touchy subject for him.

"I'd guess the taint of the Far Realm is universal," Alan shrugged. He looked around at all of his crew. José looked revolted at the images of the Flood, while Rachel couldn't even bear to look.

"Telek's right, though," Alan said. "I've seen things like this before. You don't want to be even encountering them if you can avoid it. I suggest, just this once that we don't poke our noses where they don't belong. Remember that we don't know anything about these Halo things. Don't go messing with anything on them."

"We got it the first thousand times, boss," José quietly muttered.

"José, that's enough of your lip," Alan said coldly.

"Was just sayin'..." José muttered, throwing his arms up in surrender and looking sheepish.

"Whatever you have faced up until now," Telek began. "Have been peanuts compared against the Flood. The Flood wiped out a Tier 1 civilization within a blink of an eye, which forced the remainders of that civilization to commit suicide because there was no hope in saving life." He turned his chair back forward and pressed a button on the arm. "Cujo, Mitsu, Tulsa, Wago, Tom."

"_Right here, Excellency," _said Mitsu.

"_Ready when you are, Excellency," _said Tulsa.

"_I've missed you, Excellency!" _Wago called, brimming with cheer.

"Shut up, Wago," Telek sighed.

"_We're here, Skipper," _said Tom.

"_I hope you didn't skewer Alan," _said Cujo. _"Is he still there?"_

"Apparently, he still has some usefulness," said Telek. "So, he's not Dragon chow yet."

"_Well, that's good," _said Cujo. _"Hey, Alan! Now, you'll see how we really run things here with Telek back."_

"Well, you've spent so long hyping up this little reunion tour," Alan replied, actually allowing himself a smile. "I expect to see a hell of a show."

"Alright," said Telek. "Here's the plan, I've got a lead on Kiryuu. I know who's keeping him captive."

"_Who has the President, Admiral?" _asked Tom.

"Gravemind," said Telek. His reply was followed by several groans from the other Shipmasters.

"_We blew that SOB up!" _Cujo bellowed. _"You were there. You said that monster was gone."_

"He can never be destroyed," said Telek. "You know there's always Flood out there on the Installations—a possibility that Gravemind could resurrect himself."

"_Gravemind has a one track mind," _said Tom._ "He always wants Kiryuu. Why?"_

"I have an idea, when he's not turning all of us into Flood Combat Forms, you can ask him, Tom!" Telek called.

"_What's the plan, Excellency?" _asked Mitsu.

"Well, something I should have done at the beginning of this wild goose chase," said Telek. "Retrace my steps. We lost Kiryuu at the Ark, so it is at the Ark we should start our search. If we're in range, we could zero in on a UNSC distress beacon. Those things go out for several light years."

"_We don't know exactly where the Ark is," _said Tulsa.

"No, but we do have coordinates to a Halo that does,"said Telek. "But here's the thing, Tom, I may need you or Davis to come on my ship. I need a Technomancer to decipher the map to the Ark. Maybe you can tell me of a short cut."

"_Um, Skipper," _said Tom. _"Okay, yeah, I've used Technomancy maybe once or twice, but I'm no expert at it. I think your best bet is to ask a true Technomancer like Malcho."_

"I'm not gonna go back to Earth just to kidnap that meddlesome peacock," said Telek. "You can forget it. Look as long as you and Davis know how to Connect, I think that'll be enough. Besides, you both are Reclaimers who have reclaimed the technology of the Forerunners. From what I got from Kiryuu back at the Ark, the Forerunner system is designed to acknowledge that. It's something that has to do with your body when you've used Technomancy outside of just devices." Telek pulled his gun out. "Like this. I don't understand it, but I'm goin' with it."

"_Davis may be better at it than me, though, sir," _said Tom.

"When we get to Halo, send him over," said Telek. "The moment we reach the Halo, I'll search for the Library. Besides holding the Index, it is used for storing data."

"_The last Halo we went to was overrun with Flood," _said Wago. _"The Library included. Those horrid creatures did form Gravemind. What if this Halo is the same?"_

"Burn that bridge when we get there," said Telek. "Besides, I'll know if Gravemind's down there. Trust me, I'll know. If not, Dunkelzahn may know too."

"_I will be able to hear him, Telek," _said Dunkelzahn. _"Maybe at the same time as you."_

Telek glanced back at the enormous ghost behind him.

"Maybe we both can—amuse him enough to tell us exactly where Kiryuu is if he is down there," said Telek. "What do you think?"

"_Perhaps," _said Dunkelzahn. _"But never trust what he says. He can lie."_

Telek sighed: "Let's just get this over with. Joli, send the coordinates over to the other ships. We're jumping, guys."

"_We'll see you on the other side," _said Cujo as all Shipmasters clicked off. Telek turned back around to his guests.

"Until we arrive at Halo," he began. "Because you are all staying on board my ship, don't think that you all are taking a vacation. I'm going to be putting you to work. You see, this ship is running a skeleton crew. Normally, our ships don't need as many personnel as UNSC ships do because of our automated machines doing a lot of the work for us. However, this ship has even fewer crewmembers than what it is supposed to have and it's running on full power, which is bad. The reason being is because some of the crewmembers when I decided to go on this chase to rescue Kiryuu, didn't agree with my choice. So, I left them on a planet close to Sanghelios with supplies and communications devices so that they could be picked up by the nearest friendly ship.

"So, I need all the help I can get to keep this ship running. She may be new, but because of the lack of the crew and me pushing her to the limit, she tends to stall some times. Captain Tyler, I want your engineer and pilot to work with my engineer Swifter-Than-Most. We call him Swifty. He's a Hurogock, an artificial life form specifically designed to maintain the ship. He and his maintenance crew of a mixture of Hurogock and Sangheili are the one who keep this tub going. But because we are always on the run, sometimes supplies run out—especially parts. One thing we'll do when we reach Halo is scavenge the ring for some useful parts. After all, my ship is compatible with Forerunner technology. And don't be surprised to see me running around with a utility belt trying to fix things either up on the bridge, or anywhere else on this ship. We all pull our weight around here and we all work in shifts. You'll get your breaks, breakfasts, lunches, dinner, and bedtimes according to your shifts. Many of the corridors and hallways have been closed off to conserve energy because we are not using them. If we had a full crew on board, then they would have been used. I will open up some private quarters for you and your crew. We are running one main galley for the whole ship—when before we ran three. Most of the docking bays are also closed and depressurized because we are not using them and we've stripped many of the Phantoms, Wraiths, and other vehicles in those bays for parts for the ship. Believe it or not, Covenant parts are interchangeable. We do this mostly to keep the drive going. While weapons are important, and we do maintain a huge weapons cache that can pretty much blow a hole through just about anything, speed is more important. If I get into a jam, I wanna be able to save my hide as quickly as possible while in this ship. She's not exactly the easiest manoeuvrable thing in space. Which is why speed is important.

"While we're in slipspace, keeping the drive operative and life-support systems going is key. And there have been times where I've gotten out and pushed. A super carrier isn't designed for trips like this. It's only designed to be deployed on a very large mission with other ships in a massive fleet, otherwise, these gigantic ships just sit in hangars during their tenure or guard High Charity—when High Charity existed. And while they guarded High Charity, they always had available to them a staff geared to maintaining them. We don't have that option. Not to say these huge girls break down, but they do get cranky when they're pushed the wrong way—which is basically what I'm doing to the _Shadow of Darkness._ The _Shade of Darkness _was more equipped to go planet hopping, than this thing. The most that happens is we burn out a circuit board and the lights go out in a hall somewhere. If we had a proper maintenance staff, that wouldn't be a problem. But we don't. And the other ships don't know enough of the new technology of Sanghelios to even lend a hand. And I'm still reading the damned instruction manual on this thing. But don't worry, we won't be stranded anywhere, drop out of slipspace unrepentantly, or blow up. She is a new ship, and she just needs to be run through her paces. The other ships have already gotten their bugs ironed out, this one hasn't. Her maiden voyage was going to Earth in order to assist the UNSC and she saw her first battle up at the Ark. So, like I said, she's still a bit buggy because she hasn't seen much action."

He finally leaned back in his chair and took in a deep breath.

"Are there any questions?" Telek asked.

"I have a couple," Alan answered. "I need to know that my crew can understand Swifty, so what languages does he speak? I'm not sure what languages our translators were programmed with."

"They whistle," said Telek. "And they understand sign language. Actually, he can understand you, you just can't understand him. If anything else, he'll just point to the place where it needs fixing, give her a wrench. I mean it's not that hard to find carbon scoring. And no doubt since your little ship's been suited with our technology, you technician knows enough to fix it. I mean, she's gotten you out this far."

"Right," Alan nodded. "Machine maintenance comes as naturally to Rachel as breathing, no matter what the make. She'll catch on really quick." He noticed Rachel positively beaming at him, some of the colour returning to her cheeks.

"Secondly," he continued, turning back to Telek. "you've got jobs for Rachel and Bishop. Is there anything the rest of us can do?"

"Good strong backs are always a plus," said Telek. "Though I've got a couple of Lekgolo—Hunters to you—here to do some grunt work and—two Megalekgolo in the form of Scarabs to really do some haulin'—both understand English by the way—still, it's nice to have extra hands around. Trust me, if you can't find anything to do, we'll find it for you. Again, they'll point you in the right direction."

Alan nodded. He turned to face the others. He much preferred it when the crew were still operating as a largely independent entity, and indeed some of their faces looked rather hesitant. Only Rachel seemed enthusiastic, apparently eager to interface with a new ship. She was wearing the same expression of almost child-like glee that she had whenever she was doing maintenance on the _Serenity_.

"Alright, guys," he said, "you all know your roles now. We were left largely to our own devices before, but I'm afraid that's all over. The mission we're on now is the most important – and also likely to be the most dangerous – thing we've ever done. I can't stress that enough. More than ever, I need you all to be at your absolute best and brightest. Just keep a cool head, trust your gut, do everything in your power to help your new crew-mates, and we'll find Kiryuu and bring him back home."

"You can count on us, mate," Alistair nodded.

"Aye-aye, sir!" Rachel said cheerfully.

"Roger, Captain," Bishop said, giving a salute.

"You got it, boss," José said.

"Now just hold on a couple of ticks," said Telek. "This ship is gigantic. I can't stress that enough. It ain't like an assault carrier. You can easily get lost in her. The most important thing right now is to send Ms. Tam and Bishop down to engineering and have them work with Swifty. In fact, I'll call Swifty up here right now and he'll show you where engineering is. And it's a bit of a walk, but we have little golf carts—that's what I call 'em—to get you around quicker on the ship." He went back to his chair and pressed a button. "Swifty, report to the bridge." He looked back at the others. "If any of you have any first aid training, you can report to the infirmary and to our chief surgeon Erin 'Venam. He's a very nice guy to work with and a bit humble about what he does. He's dressed like a Zealot, but his colours are muted to state that he is not a combat Zealot. Poor guy can't even hit a broad side of a barn much less an enemy. But he's not on this ship to fight, he's on this ship to patch guys up. And he'll find you work to do."

Telek turned around when he saw a large, bulbous creature float towards him from another door. The creature had a long neck and a small head and four tentacles for limbs. A tool belt was attached to the creature's sides.

"Ah, here he is," said Telek. "This is Swifty. Rachel, Bishop, you'll be working with him and he'll take you to engineering."

Swifty whistled a greeting to Rachel and Bishop and then waved. Then, he turned back to Telek, whistling again.

"What the hell do you mean engine 3 is misfiring?" Telek asked. "We just fixed that two days ago."

Swifty whistled his reply.

"I'm not gonna drop outta slipspace to fix it," said Telek. "We'll fix it here."

Swifty whistled, placing his tentacles on his hips.

"Hey, I can't help it if you're the one who suggested to jimmy that plasma coil to the manifold," said Telek. "I read the schematic and it said that shouldn't have been there."

Swifty shrugged and then pulled out a blackened steel piece of hardware and wires from his tool belt.

"What the hell is that?" Telek asked.

Swifty whistled.

"It's a power coupling," said Telek. "What's it doing here? Why is it black?"

Swifty whistled.

"How many power couplings have been blown?" asked Telek. He paused, listening to Swifty's reply. "200! That's over half the cooling unit for the matter-antimatter fusion coil for the engine. That's why engine 3 is misfiring. Matter and antimatter aren't mixing and going boom like they should because the engine is overheating. It's going into safe mode to keep the ship from blowing up."

Swifty shoved the part into Telek's hands.

"Well, don't give this to me," he said. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

Swifty shrugged.

"Well, guess what?" asked Telek. "You have a new assistant to help you fix the cooling unit to the matter-antimatter fusion coil for engine 3." He turned back to Alan. "You see, this is what I have to deal with." He walked over to a holographic panel on his command platform. "If you all get on your environment suits, there are damaged Spirit drop ships we're not using in launching bay 60 that haven't been scavenged yet. I do believe that'll be enough to fix the 200 couplings on the cooling unit." He looked back at Alan. "I'll allow you to return to your ship to get an environment suit for Rachel so she can go with Swifty and Bishop to launching bay 60. It's a huge bay filled with 500 Spirit drop ships we're not using right now nor do we have the landing party to use them. This ship is running on an eighth of the personnel and landing parties it's supposed to. And there's a lot of unused equipment that we're not gonna ever use. This ship is made for carrying whole armies across the stars, not a platoon of 400 warriors. We've been using most of this ship as storage space for junk. Don't be surprised if you see a huge pile of un-recycled cans stashed in an empty cargo bay somewhere. Xytan's gonna be pissed when he hears what I've done to this ship—a ship he gave me out of the kindness of his heart." He looked at Swifty. "Alright, get to work, take the human female and the android with you. And get those 200 power couplings working!"

"Bishop," Alan said, "will you be needing an environment suit too?"

"I expect so, Captain," Bishop replied. "My servos still require a steady input of oxygen. If I try to work in a vacuum unprotected, I'll end up shutting down and be no help to anybody."

"Right," Alan said. "Both of you swing by the _Serenity_ to get your suits, then give Swifty whatever help he needs. Oh," he continued, lowering his voice to a whisper, "and tell Rachel to try to resist the temptation to suggest improvements at this stage. The last thing I want to hear is that she and Swifty ended up in a blazing row over how best to stop the cooling units exploding or something."

Bishop nodded, and both he and Rachel set off following Swifty.

"Right then," Alan said to Alistair and José. "We might as well head back down to the hangar and see if those Hunters need a hand."

"Bloody hell, mate," Alistair said. "With the size of the stuff in there, I think we'll be the ones needing a hand from them before long."


	7. Where Angels Fear to Tread

**Where Angels Fear to Tread**

The day's voyage to Installation 05 was largely uneventful. Alan, Alistair, and José had spent most of it in the hangar, assisting in sorting out the equipment and salvaging parts from things that weren't needed. The first time Alan clapped eyes on a Lekgolo – a massive armoured creature with quills that seemed to shake threateningly (unknown to him, it was actually comprised of thousands of worm-like creatures under the armour) – he almost fainted. One of them could have done the work of five people. The _Serenity_ crew members were largely tasked with the salvaging and stripping machinery down, which required a more delicate touch. The biggest incident came when Alan, gazing longingly at the _Serenity_ on the far side of the hangar, was distracted and pushed a heavy piece of machinery down to José when he wasn't ready. The part ended up pinning him to the floor, and while it wasn't heavy enough to crush him he found it impossible to push it off himself. One of the Lekgolo had to come by and lift it off him as easily as if it had lifted a tissue. Alan swore that he heard it chuckling.

By the time their working day was over, the three of them were absolutely exhausted. They later met up with Rachel, who seemed to be annoyed with Swifty. As Alan had predicted, she had tried to make suggestions for stabilising the energy transfer in the ship to reduce the strain on the cooling units. Swifty, in spite of not using English, had made it clear that she was not to touch his configurations when he had spent so long getting them just right. While it had not quite been the blazing row that Alan had feared, Rachel still looked rather sulky.

"All I'm saying is that the fuel compressor would work better if you tweak the carbon-matrix coils," she had said. Swifty had just rolled all six eyes and crossed his tentacles.

In the end, Alan was glad when he finally headed to his cabin and collapsed on his bunk. It was true that he had spent a day doing work which was mindless and utterly back-breaking, but at least he knew that he would be guaranteed a good night's sleep, for the first time in a long while.

His sleep was interrupted when he felt something cold on his shoulder. Prior to that he thought he had heard a voice calling his name, but decided that it had to be part of a dream. At first he thought nothing of the cold, murmuring in his sleep and pulling his cover tighter around himself. The cold sensation persisted, however, and when he rolled over onto his front he suddenly felt the horrible sensation over his entire body, as if he had been plunged into a vat of icy water. He woke up in such shock that he actually released a Godzilla-like shriek; his mutated vocal chords meant that he could sound like a Godzilla, but he had not done so for a long time until now. As he blinked and tried to force his eyes to focus, he saw a pale mist quickly retreating from his bed, before shaping itself as Dunkelzahn, who had a very indignant look on his face.

"_It was not my idea!"_ the dragon said. _"Telek tried to rouse you earlier, but you were sleeping so soundly that you didn't respond. He took me off the bridge and placed me in your cabin, telling me to, in his words, give you a taste of what he's been going through. I cannot predict how long you would sleep for if left undisturbed."_ He indicated a shelf nearby, where the glowing heart-shaped crystal now lay.

"Fucking hell..." Alan groaned, kneading his temples with his claws. "Doesn't he think he's punishing me enough, having me schlep about in the hangar?"

It was then that the door to his cabin was thrown open. Alistair, who had been startled awake by Alan's cry, was gazing around the room, wild-eyed.

"What happened?" he bellowed. "What was that shriek just now? Sounded like the wailing of a banshee!"

"No, it was just me," Alan said in a low voice. "I didn't tell you I could do good impressions of Godzilla, did I?"

"Obviously not," Alistair said, wiping his brow. "Bloody hell, I thought this ship had become haunted..."

"_It already was,"_ Dunkelzahn said, in a dry tone. He turned back to Alan, who was in the process of reaching blindly for his clothes. _"Telek needs to see you on the bridge when you're ready."_

After Alan had pulled on his clothes and grabbed a mug of coffee from the food processor, he left his cabin carrying Dunkelzahn's crystal with him. Out in the crew's quarters he ran into both José and Rachel, who had looked as alarmed as Alistair had been. A few Sangheili were also poking their heads out of their cabins, wondering what the noise had been. Bishop was not present, as he had volunteered to do a long shift in the infirmary.

Not feeling in the mood to answer questions, Alan took one of the small 'golf carts' to the bridge. He was given permission to ascend to the control platform and found Telek in his command chair. Alan got his attention by holding Dunkelzahn's crystal in front of him.

"Lose something, Admiral?" Alan asked irritably.

"Nope," Telek chuckled, enjoying what he just did. "I'd figure that a good wake up call was what you needed. Believe me I've been through several of those. He's been my roommate for the past month and a half. Something tells me you're not used to a good hard days work, are yah?"

"Not the kind of work you're putting me through," said Alan. "When I left school I swore blind I'd avoid having to earn a living through manual labour."

"Well, this kind of work is actually good for you," he said. "Builds strong muscles. And trust me, you'll need them to keep up with us, especially when we go down to the surface."

"Huh?" Alan asked. "We're here already?"

"Just dropped out of slipspace an hour ago," said Telek. "Alan Tyler, welcome to Halo Installation 05."

Telek motioned for Alan to come closer and peer over to the enormous holographic screens at the front of the bridge. There, Alan beheld a massive ring, almost the same diameter as Earth, orbiting between a large rust-coloured gas giant and several large moons. Around the inside of the ring were landmasses, lakes, oceans, rivers, forests, mountains, and deserts. It was almost an exact duplicate of Halo 04 and 06. However, there was one thing that was different than those Halos. This one—for all Telek knew—did not contain Flood.

"Ain't she a beauty?" Telek asked. "You might call this particular ring my home away from home. Found her when I first defected from the Covenant back in 2546. So far, my scans have not shown the parasite—the Flood to be on its surface. But that was only a surface scan. Who knows what it has underneath? So far, it's relatively safe. But again, it's advised you don't go pokin' around where you aught not to. I don't know if humanoid Godzillas make good Flood food, but I don't think you wanna find out."

Alan almost said that he certainly wouldn't want to find out, but the sight of the Halo seemed to cause the words to die in his throat. He had seen what he thought was a good deal of the galaxy while travelling with the fleet, but he had never come across anything like this. The installation was a beautiful, yet somehow haunting sight, and he really found it hard to believe that such a thing could even exist. He was so transfixed with the world-ring that he didn't say or do anything until Telek suddenly clapped his hands together, causing Alan to jump and bringing him back to his senses.

"Right, well," Alan said, shaking himself and trying to drag himself further into the waking world. "This doesn't sound difficult; drop down, do what we need to do, and get out without touching anything we're not supposed to. What's your plan?"

"Get to the Library," said Telek. "Tom, you reading me?"

"_Right here," _said Tom.

"Layout of all the Halos are the same, I know where the Library is," said Telek. "Are you ready to send over Colonel Davis?"

"_Yes, sir," _said Tom.

"Okay then, Cujo, Mitsu, Tulsa, Wago," began Telek. "Just do your scans as normal. Hopefully nothing has changed since the last time we've been here. What I will do is take Davis down with me in a Phantom, and we'll find the location of the Ark."

"_Don't run into any Flood while you're there," _said Cujo.

"I'll make sure we won't," said Telek. "Tom, have Davis take a Pelican down and follow my Phantom."

"_Roger," _said Tom.

Telek turned to Alan and got up from his chair again: "Well, would you like to come with me, or do you want to stay here?"

At first Alan was surprised that Telek was asking that question at all, but he nodded.

"I'll go with you," he said. "I never pass any opportunity to see another world, even if I risk facing terror, torture and possible gruesome death."

"Terror, torture, and gruesome death are only the fun part!" Telek boasted cheerfully. "Besides, if all goes well, this'll be the boring part of the quest. Alright, Alan, you come with me and Davis and we'll scout around the Library. Just don't go touching the Index. Oh, and if you see a floating metal ball that hums and says something about Reclaimer or anything like that, let me know. Let me know immediately. And I want the rest of your crew to go with Shri 'Canthon to scout out for something to scavenge for the ship. Trust me, she knows what she's looking for. I do want to keep your ship up here. If anything happens, since it's got slipspace capability—it can be sent out to get help. The last thing I want to do is use a reactor core from one of my ships to blow this Halo to bits like I did with the other one. Okay? We got that?"

"Loud and clear," said Alan.

"Great, well, no time like the present," said Telek. "We'll take a Phantom on down to the Library. Shri, you take the rest of the _Serenity _crew to go scout around for parts. Oh, and Alan, inform your crew to listen carefully to Shri. If she says there are places they shouldn't go—then they shouldn't go there. I don't want a break out of Flood."

"Understood," said Alan.

"And if this place does have a Gravemind," said Telek. "Now—we didn't go looking for one when we first came here and we pretty much stuck to areas that we knew the Flood would not be in—but if there is one and I sense it or Dunkelzahn senses it—run. Of course, you've seen King Ghidorah before, prepare for a shock when you see him in his ugly tentacle, Audrey II, knock off form. He is fugly! Just fugly. And he will try to get under your skin, but I have a feeling you already know that, don't you?"

"All too well," said Alan.

"Good," said Telek. "Let's go. Once we take the Phantom down, it'll drop a Spectre and we'll ride it on towards the Library. Davis should be down there to meet us and we three will just take the Spectre in. Watch out for the Sentinels, don't fire at them unless they fire at you first, and do keep an eye out for a glowing ball that hums and talks about Reclaimers. I want to know if he's following us. He's down there, all Halos have those things, just tell me if he's following us. And if there is a Gravemind, and he has that glowing ball, we could be in a lot of trouble."

Telek lead Alan down to the main launching bay where a Phantom with a Spectre attached to its fuselage was waiting for them. The other members of the _Serenity _crew were also waiting there in the hangar bay.

"What's the situation, Captain?" Bishop asked.

"We're going down to the surface of the Halo," Alan said. "While myself, Telek and Davis head for the Library, you lot will be going with Shri's troops on a salvage expedition."

"Even me, Captain?" Rachel squeaked. She was a lot less enthusiastic about being part of a shore party ever since the incident on Illium. "Shouldn't I stay here and keep working on the engines?"

"You've got a good eye for parts, Rachel," Alan said reassuringly. "You got us this far with _Serenity_. You might even spot something the others miss. Don't worry; Shri and the guys will look after you."

Rachel nodded, putting on a brave face. José moved closer to her. He looked as if he wanted to put his arm around her, but seemed to think better of it.

"Alright, team, you know what to do," Alan said to them all. "Listen carefully to what Shri says, don't touch anything you shouldn't, and above all keep each other safe. I don't want the Flood taking anybody."

"Roger that, Captain," Alistair said. "You guys take care too."

Alan nodded, and followed Telek towards the Phantom, while Alistair and the others went to join Shri's party.

"Okay," said Telek. "You can have your caster gun. Here's the thing though. If we do encounter Flood—use the shotgun first before you go for your pistol. Conserve the energy in your shots. I got special #13 shells which are just the thing to use against the Flood. It just zaps them right the fuck outta this world. I mean those things are like little miniature black holes that suck in Flood—so I only use them on the giant Tank Forms. Those things are hard to take down even with a shotgun. Tank Forms are built from Flood biomass when there is a Gravemind present and their armour is tough. Since you can't load these bullets in your model improvise with whatever you got. Remember that burning's the best thing."

He pulled one of his shotguns from his back and handed it to Alan.

"Quickest way to reload this thing is to do this…" Telek said and then twirled the loading lever around his finger. "It's lever reloading, not pump action. Allows me to wield two of these puppies at the same time. They can store 36 shells at a time. Don't run out, keep it loaded. Also, some of the Flood can go down if you melee them. Don't melee the Carrier Forms. They'll explode, and you got little Infection critters crawling all over you. It's just best to explode them far away from you and use an assault rifle to pick off the little bugs that crawl out. You think you can handle King Ghidorah in this form?"

"I think so," said Alan.

"Good enough," Telek shrugged. "I just hope I'm still unappetizing to them as well. But Erin's a good doctor, so, who knows. Let's go."

They ascended up into the Phantom and strapped themselves in. Telek moved over to the cockpit of the Phantom, settling himself behind the pilot and the co-pilot.

"Take her away," he said.

"Yes, Excellency," said the pilot.

Telek turned around and pointed to Alan the view from the pilot's cockpit. As they flew over the rim of Halo 05, Telek pressed a few buttons on a console and pulled up a schematic of the Halo, downloaded from Halo 04. He pointed for the pilot where the location of the Library was. Glancing over the side, he saw a Pelican fly right beside his Phantom. He waved at the humans inside the Phantom, one of them being Colonel Acanthus Davis. He glanced back at Alan.

"Though Technomancy was outlawed on Earth," he began. "There were some who did not obey. However, they are very unskilled in using it, from what I know. They don't have the training that Kiryuu, Manda, or Malcho have."

"They've had several centuries to train, mind," Alan said sagely. "Most on Earth don't have the luxury of near-immortal lifespans to figure it out."

The Phantom and the Pelican finally descended down into the atmosphere, coming to an enormous, angular, gray structure near a large lake. The Phantom and Pelican lowered down. The Phantom unloaded the Spectre and Telek signalled for Alan to follow him down the gravity lift. The Pelican landed and several Marines came out with Colonel Davis. Telek walked over to Davis and they shook hands. Both seasoned soldiers looked around the Halo and took in the air.

"Feels like old times, doesn't it, Ace?" Telek asked.

"Yup," said Davis. "I remember when you dragged us to Halo 04. And then you dragged us to 06. Now you're dragging us to 05…"

"I have a habit of dragging you to different Halos, don't I?" Telek chuckled. He glanced back up at the Phantom. "Wait for our return. I'll give a shout when we're done. However, if things get ugly, I'll call you—do not come find us if they do. I want all ships to bug out as soon as possible and start glassing the area. We're not worth the trouble of having Flood possibly getting on any of the ships."

"Yes, Excellency," said the Phantom pilot.

"Yes, sir," said the Pelican pilot.

"Davis, man the turret," said Telek. "Alan, you ride shotgun. I'll drive."

"You sure you're sober enough to drive, Telek?" Davis asked.

"Hey, I've been the sobriety poster child for two months now!" Telek said in defence of himself. Davis chuckled.

"Yeah—right," he said. "Tell that to the Scarab you crashed when you binged 15 bottles of vodka."

"God, not this again…" Telek sighed. "Shut up and get in the back seat!"

"Yes, sir," said Davis. He climbed onto the back of the Spectre as Telek jumped into the driver's seat.

"Let's go, Alan," said Telek, becoming impatient when he saw that the mutant was staring around at his surroundings.

"I'm coming," Alan said, snapping out of his shock long enough to position himself on the Spectre's left side. There was no obvious way to strap himself down, so he settled for holding firmly onto the plating as Telek steered the vehicle towards the structure. It was not a comfortable ride for Alan, as he felt the vehicle tilt strangely whenever Telek turned, threatening to make him slip off whenever it did.

Alan was spellbound at the sights that clearly Telek and Davis were too familiar with to care. He found it impossible to believe that such a thing like Halo could exist. He kept gazing into the distance, where the landmass curved upwards for thousands of miles, arched over their heads and then smoothly curved behind them. It formed a perfect circle, every part of it visible from the surface. If it had not been for the cool breeze then Alan would be sure that he was still asleep in his cabin, dreaming about all of this.

"Yeah, I know, it's pretty, isn't it?" asked Telek. "But that's all it is…pretty on the outside. It's what's inside that's ugly."

"Why would these Forerunners build something so beautiful only to make it into a weapon?" Alan asked.

"Because it ain't a weapon," said Telek. "It's a method of sterilization and containment. All of this we see is just a front for the mechanism inside. You know, to fool anyone from stupidly going into places they shouldn't go. These rings just look innocent so no one will bother them. These rings are built to contain King Ghidorah in his divided form and if he breaks out of that containment, sterilize the infected area—meaning kill us so he'll starve. The Halos were only fired once 40,000 years ago. And they've been dormant ever since. Now because of what we've done to the Ark, they'll remain that way."

"Hopefully," said Davis.

"Yeah," said Telek. "But now, it's up to us to find a new way of keeping King Ghidorah contained if he can't be destroyed since in theory the Halos can no longer be used again. But, like I said, I don't wanna be too careful, so, no go touchin' the Index Key that would be the thing that can activate this Installation. The Index is in the Library. Merge that with the Core at the Control room, it's like turning the key on a control mechanism for a thermal nuclear missile silo, and you've got ignition. However, only humans can do it. I don't know how much human DNA you still have left in that scaly body of yours, but I just don't wanna chance it either. Anything that looks like a glowing alien key, don't touch it."

"I got it," Alan said. "You keep reminding me not to touch anything around here. You sound like a broken record."

"Well, you're kinda new at this," Telek said. "Rookie, I sang this old tune to Jacob a few times, and he didn't listen to me at all. Then I warned Miranda, what happened? Well, she managed to get off that Halo—but Truth did shoot her in the back. I may have all the luck, but the people around me sometimes don't."

"You just need to rub my ginger hair," said Davis. "That'll do it."

Telek chuckled: "I'll think about that some time, Ace."

He turned the Spectre to the right, missing some rocks jutting out of the ground. Strange alien birds flew above, flapping softly in the sun. Davis looked up, seeing the faded forms of Telek's fleet hanging in the blue sky. The purple, hovering vehicle turned again, running over an energy bridge that separated the Library from the land beyond it. Telek pulled the Spectre over and hopped out, followed by Davis and Alan. The massive building had a closed, four-valve door and a floating gondolier waiting at a dock.

"Okay, this is as far as we go in the Spectre," said Telek. "Everyone on the gondola."

"I seem to remember the last time you headed on one of these," said Davis. "There was Flood everywhere."

"Seems quiet now," said Telek.

Telek looked over to the Library, seeing the angling building with flying buttresses extending over its octagonal dome. A powerful blue beam of light shot out from the oculus at the top. Davis walked over to a holographic, blue-coloured control panel on the gondola. Telek leaned against a pillar just as the gondolier started. Alan jerked when he felt the transport move under his feet. The doors opened, revealing a tunnel, allowing the gondola in. Telek looked up and held up his shotgun, seeing the familiar shapes of Sentinels flying about. Alan raised his gun as well.

"It's okay," said Telek, finally lowering his weapon. "Just a reflex. Usually these things are shootin' at us because the Monitor orders it. But right now, we've done nothing to cause any trouble for them yet. Those are Sentinels. Attached to them is a laser that's very effective against a small outbreak of Flood. But handling a large-scale one—not so much."

He glanced behind the gondola and saw the door outside close.

"There's no going back now," said Telek. "Davis, you think you can interface with the Library?"

"I hope so," said Davis. "It should be like downloading from the Array when I took my entrance exam."

"You mean to tell me that's the only time you ever used Technomancy, to cheat on your test?" Telek asked. "You haven't used it ever since?"

"Nope," said Davis. "But I'm probably more—apt at it than Tom is. He's only read books."

"How long have you been in the service, Ace?" Telek asked.

"Almost 37 years now," said Davis. "I pretty much went through ROTC the moment the Covenant found Harvest."

Telek sighed and lowered down to the floor.

"Uh, how long have you been in the service, Telek?" Davis asked. "Never really got a chance to ask that question."

"Which service?" Telek asked. "Covenant or UNSC?"

"I know the UNSC part," said Davis. "I was there when you were brought in. Covenant."

"Let's see…Covenant," Telek said. "Well, 40 years, not counting my defection." He looked at Alan. "I think once we find Kiryuu, I might finally would want to retire. Gallivanting across the stars was fun in my youth, but now, I just wanna relax on some beach with a cocktail in my hand and a pretty girl puttin' sunscreen on my back."

"Sounds like a wonderful way to spend retirement," said Alan. "I've got to admit I hadn't really thought about it much." Alan hadn't been sure what else to say; Telek had not struck him as being old.

"That sounds like a plan," said Davis. "What kind of pretty girl, Elite or human?"

"I ain't picky," said Telek. He got up when he felt the gondola begin to slow to a stop. The cart latched onto its dock and the plank lowered down to allow them to exit. He turned back to the others. "Let's go."

They glanced around and Telek gave a sniff to the air.

"Blech, stale," he growled. "But it doesn't smell like the rotting flesh of Flood—at least not yet."

"Flood, if released, always want to crawl around near the Index," said Davis, "or the Control Room, or anywhere else that's vital to Halo's firing mechanism."

"They don't want to be starved," said Telek. "_He _does not want to starve."

Alan knew exactly that Telek was referring to King Ghidorah. They came to a door nearly 60 feet tall and 40 feet wide. Telek pushed on the door, trying to see if it could give way. He looked back at Davis. He looked up, seeing that the way to unlock it was much higher than he could reach.

"Well, Technomancer," he began. "Can you interface with it?"

"Do I look like a lock pick?" asked Davis.

"You're the one with the ability to download Forerunner knowledge," said Telek. "Come on, it'll be like cheating on your entrance exam."

Davis sighed and reached behind his neck, bending his head down. With his hand, he pulled out a bundle of translucent, ghostly, cyan-glowing, energy cords. Davis held the tip of the cords with his hands and looked up at the lock panels.

"Well?" Telek asked. "Do you need me to boost you up?"

"Telek, you may be tall," began Davis. "But I don't think even you could reach that lock."

"We have to get up there somehow," said Telek.

Without warning, Davis' cords began to float on up towards the panel, extending out. Each of the cilia strains parted and the lock turned. The door opened up slowly. Telek chuckled and gave a good friendly slap to Davis' back.

"Nice work, colonel," he said.

"I swear, I didn't do anything," said Davis.

"Nope, but your cords knew what to do," said Telek. "And that's all that counts."

Davis shook his head as the three entered the Library: "Now I know why I only used this thing to pass my exam. They always creep me out."

"You're not the only one, mate," said Alan. "I've only seen Technomancy at work maybe twice before, and I still can't help but wince at the sight of those things. I keep thinking someone's plugging their very soul into a machine."

They walked down several large corridors and so far, nothing impeded their trek. Telek stopped and glanced around, then looked back at Davis.

"Well, where's a place where you can get the information I need?" he asked.

"Anywhere," said Davis.

"Really?" Telek asked. "There's no book depository? Shelves? Nothing like that?"

"Not even a fussy librarian?" Alan chimed in.

"No, I can attach the cords here," said Davis. "And download the information. I mean, this place is the extension of the Library of Alexandria. In fact, all of the Halos are—their Libraries are libraries."

"And how do you know that?" Telek asked with a grin.

"Um, the moment my cords touched that door, the download started," said Davis.

Telek laughed loudly: "Pick a wall, Ace!"

"Well, the Forerunners didn't exactly use the Dewey Decimal System," said Davis. "It's gonna take a while before I manage to get to the location of the Ark."

"How long?" Telek asked.

"Well, longer than a few minutes," said Davis.

Telek slumped and rolled his eyes: "Well, start searching. I'd love to help yah, but I don't have blue glowing cords growing out from the back of my head." As Davis attached his cords to a wall and began to interface with the Halo's archival system, Telek turned back to Alan. "Remember what I told you? Watch out for a glowing, metallic ball, floating around here. Don't shoot it, just tell me if you see it. No doubt the Sentinels have alerted it to our presence."

"What exactly is it?" Alan asked.

"It's called a Monitor," said Telek. "The custodian of the Halo. Hopefully the presence of Davis will make the floating nut job docile since he's a Technomancer."

"Oh, great, so, I'm Monitor bait too?" Davis asked.

"Suck it up and keep siftin' through those files," barked Telek. He turned on his comlink. "How goes it, Shri?"

"_Pretty good," _said Shri. _"So far, we've found some excellent parts we need for the ship. I think Swifty will be more than elated to get this stuff installed."_

"Good," said Telek. "Give me a holler if you run into anything bad."

"_No problem," _said Shri. _"And I hope we don't. So far, the rookies are minding themselves."_

"Well, they better keep mindin' themselves," said Telek. "Don't anyone be Flood bait today."

"_Yes, sir," _said Shri. _"Over and out."_

Telek sniffed the air again and turned back to Alan.

"You usually smell them before you see them," he said. "Like rotting flesh and stale, rotting vegetables. That's what they smell like. So far, I'm not picking up anything. I wonder, did Godzilla give you super smell as well?"

"I'm not sure," Alan said. "If I remember right, Godzilla could sniff out stuff from miles away. I've never really had to check."

He inhaled deeply. He was now dimly aware of the strange sensations filling his nasal passages. He had to admit to himself that there was still a lot about his mutation that he did not understand. The air smelled musty, doubtless from the millennia of non-use. Something also gave him an odd tingling sensation, as if a mild jolt of electricity had passed into his snout. He attributed that to Davis and his Technomantic coils. It was a really peculiar sensation to be picking up scents beyond the capabilities of a human.

Then he smelt it. It was exactly the scent that Telek had described; it was like certain powerful fertilisers that he was familiar with from his home area. He raised the shotgun and turned quickly, trying to pinpoint the source of the smell.

"I've got something," he said firmly. "It's just as you described it."

"Shit..." Telek muttered. "Where from?"

"I can't tell..." Alan replied. "It's not strong, but it's there... I mean, it's here! It's definitely somewhere not too far away!"

"Better get a move on, Ace!" Telek barked, readying his own shotgun. All of a sudden Alan gagged.

"It's getting stronger!" he said. "It stinks like a sewer! Can't you smell it?"

Telek inhaled deeply. "It's like it's comin' from all over the place," he snarled.

He and Alan peered up and down the lengthy identical corridors, peering into every shadow. It was then that Alan noticed that there was a sizeable gap between the walls and the high ceiling, and a horrifying thought occurred to him. Peering up towards the top of the wall he suddenly saw one of the Combat Forms.

It was even more offensive to Alan's eyes than the hologram had been. It was a grotesque mockery of a creature, the greyish-green skin covered in wart-like lumps, tentacles flapping all over the place and apparently hunchbacked. Its face was contorted into a look of agonising pain. The Flood released a horrible guttural sound as it flung itself off the top of the wall, aiming straight at Davis.

"Heads up!" Alan shouted to Davis, and he fired his shotgun over Davis' head. Davis barely got out of the way, the glowing cords still attached to the wall, as the creature hit the floor with a sickening thud. It started to get back up again, but Alan fired another shot, puncturing the immense lump on the back. The Combat Form collapsed, but the body continued to twitch.

He heard more shots being fired behind him, and spun to see that Telek had fired at more Combat Forms that came bounding over the walls. They had to have had extraordinary strength in their legs. There was a look of cold fury on Telek's face as he blasted another Combat Form. There were about ten of them, attempting to surround the group. Alan joined in the fight, doing his best to make every shot count, though there were some close calls; Telek even had to smash the butt of his shotgun into the face of one monster that had got too close.

Once all the Combat Forms were down, Telek nudged one of them with his large foot, turning it over onto its back. From somewhere else in the library Alan heard a shuffling, scuttling noise.

"Sangheili," Telek said. "The Covenant musta been messin' about on here at some point. Poor bastards," he added, though he didn't sound sorry. He peered up at Alan. "They were only the first wave, kid. There'll be a lot more here soon."

"_Captain!"_ Alistair's voice suddenly said, sounding panicked, from Alan's commlink. _"God-damn it, pick up already!"_

"Now's not a good time, Al!" Alan barked, peering around him and watching every shadow as if expecting more Flood to spring out at them.

"_I swear we didn't touch anything!"_ Alistair said, apparently not catching the urgency in Alan's tone. _"Bishop picked up seismic activity coming from somewhere under the Library! Something big – I'm talking really big – is heading your way!"_

Alan had the horrible feeling that he knew what exactly was coming. He turned to Davis, who was still connected to the wall, his face contorted in concentration.

"Time's up, Davis!" Alan called. "We've gotta get out of here!"

"Just getting the last bit," said Davis. "There. Got it."

"Okay, Alan," said Telek. "New plan. Keep Davis alive. He's got those coordinates in his head. That is top priority. Failure is not an option."

"I heard you the first time!" called Alan.

They rushed down the hallway. Telek glanced up, seeing the Flood line the upper levels, however, something was strange about them. They were not attacking. That was when he found his answer festering inside his head. A deep laugh echoed from ear to ear inside Telek's mind. Golden flecks began to fill the hallways.

"Oh no," he breathed, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Telek!" Davis called. "Come on, we have to go!"

"He's here!" Telek bellowed. "Gravemind!"

"Another one?" Davis asked.

"Another one…" Telek growled. "No, the same one. It will always be the same one…"

"_Time has passed much since the time our faces gazed," _called a deep, and rather familiar haunting voice through the corridors. _"But to see you here of all places, I am amazed."_ Tentacles inched their way up the sides of the walls. Telek, Alan, and Davis backed away just as an enormous, bulbous shape with a four-mandible mouth slowly crept its way out of the shadows. Flood leapt out from the walls, gargling and spitting, readying their weapons. _"Your grandfather has kept you hidden well all these years, but now his dwindling sanity is the greatest of his fears."_

"You've got to be joking!" Alan called. "It—it really can't be him."

"_Long has he prepared you for my return," _the massive, fleshy—plant-like creature said. _"Now all that hard work, I will overturn."_ It drew closer to the three tiny figures before it. _"Hello, Alan Tyler."_

For one moment Alan considered drawing his revolver and firing off a Flamer shot, but the rational part of him won out, knowing that he could not hope to hurt this creature in any significant way. He instead narrowed his eyes, looking murderous.

"I know what you've been doing to Kiryuu, you sick bastard!" he snarled. "When I find him, we'll shove you back in whatever hell-hole you crawled out of!"

"_So confident, yet so naïve,"_ Gravemind's voice chuckled. _"You truly have not changed."_ The plant-like monstrosity turned to face Telek.

"_My, my, and the pirate as well!" _Gravemind called. _"I did not appreciate what you did to me back at the Ark. No matter, as I stated, death is nothing more than a setback for me."_

"Yeah, I think that you made that pretty clear, you overgrown thorn bush!" Telek growled. "Quite frankly I'm glad you decided to rear your ugly head, Ghidorah, I've got some questions to ask you."

"_This should be amusing," _said Gravemind. With that, the gigantic plant monster exhaled his golden dust and then melted away. The golden dust began to reform into an enormous golden dragon with three heads, twin tails, and broad, bat-like wings. King Ghidorah snapped a claw and his Flood withdrew.

"See that, Alan?" Telek asked. "He's still a ghost. He needs to inhabit a Gravemind Form just to have a solid hold here."

King Ghidorah chuckled.

"I know you're holding him," said Telek, turning back to the ghostly alien dragon. "What have you done with Kiryuu?"

"_I see the First Wyrm has proven his uses," _said King Ghidorah. _"I know one of you does not wish to again dirty his socks, but be careful when you come across Pandora's Box."_

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Telek asked.

"_If you go to the Ark, you will find three seats but one bare,"_ said King Ghidorah. _"You questions will be unanswered there."_

"That's it, I'm destroying this ring with you on it," Telek growled. "I am so sick of your damned riddles, Ghidorah!"

"_Destroy this ring if you must," _King Ghidorah shrugged, his form becoming more transparent. _"It matters little to me. I would hurry though if Kiryuu again you wish to see!"_

With that, King Ghidorah's form disappeared. The Flood began to slowly creep back closer to the three.

"Uh-oh," said Telek. "He ain't gonna let us off this ring that easily. Okay, let's get the hell outta here!"

"No arguments here," said Davis.

The ring of Flood around the trio was tight-knit. They had closed in behind the group while the Gravemind had distracted them, and it was clear that they couldn't hope to run out of the circle, they were blocking the hall so tightly. On the tops of the walls Alan saw that some of the Combat Forms were carrying weaponry, but their bulk seemed to be hampering their ability to hold their guns properly. He knew that it would be impossible to fight them all; their only chance was to distract them long enough to attempt to run for it.

He drew his caster revolver and set it to the Flamer mode. He pointed the weapon at the Combat Forms that were cutting of their exit. He knew he would only be able to try one shot. The gun almost flew out of his hands as he pulled the trigger, and an enormous fireball sped out into the midst of the gathering Flood. The Flood caught in its path instantly burst into flames, releasing horrible, unearthly shrieks. After a short distance the fireball exploded, scattering flames amongst even more of the Flood. They shrieked and howled, scattering and trying to rid themselves of the consuming fire. Behind him Alan heard more gunshots, as Telek and Davis cleared away some of the snipers. The path to the exit was now clear.

"Move! Move!" Alan shouted, drawing his shotgun again. Telek and Davis ran past him and down the corridor. Alan brought up the rear, firing his gun behind him and not daring to look back at the horde chasing them. The surviving snipers opened fire, their plasma fire barely missing them. Their aim was surprisingly good, and Alan was worried that at any second one of them would be struck down by the plasma fire.

"Shri," Telek said into his commlink. "We're buggin' out. Flood is crawlin' all over this place."

"_I figured as much," _said Shri. _"Cujo informed me that he found debris from a Covenant cruiser floating around here. No doubt they were the ones who released the parasite."_

"Worse yet, Gravemind's here too," said Telek. "I just had a little talk with him. I'll inform you of it when we get back to the ship. That is if."

"_You better get back to the ship!" _Shri cried._ "I'm tired of chasing after you!"_

Some of the Flood got ahead of the trio and tried to block their path, but they were quickly gunned down. There was no time to check if they were really dead; it was a case of dropping them and running on by. The howling of the Flood behind them seemed to echo all over the vast library; Alan wasn't sure how long he had been able to distract them for, but he imagined that they could not be far behind now.

All of a sudden something dropped down from the ceiling and landed right in front of them, blocking their path. All three had to stop dead in their tracks, for standing in front of them were two ferocious-looking Tank Forms, larger than bears and with powerful-looking arms. They released ear-splitting roars from their mandibles.

"Well, I suppose this is a good time to show you what #13 does," said Telek. "One warning, it does pack a kick, and there's a price to be paid."

"What price?" Alan asked.

"You'll find out," said Telek. He popped in the special shell and held up his gun at the Tank Forms. Bracing his feet against the floor, he fired the shot. It was a purple flash that nearly sent him backwards, however, what appeared from that flash was something else entirely. To Alan, it looked like a black dot, however, light seemed to be warped around it. Just as it floated its way towards the Tank Forms, they began to stretch towards it as if drawn by its massive force. The two Tank Forms swirled around the dark spot and then disappeared inside it. Then, the spot returned to Telek and shot out a purple bolt, zapping him with it. Telek bellowed in pain as the bolt struck him and the dot disappeared. Telek growled and leaned back, popping his neck.

"The price," he said, "is whatever years you have left of your life. One year for one shell. That's why I only use that shell when I desperately need to."

Alan was horror-struck. He could not believe that such a terrible weapon could exist. He shook his head at Telek.

"Let's make sure you never need it again, then," he said, rather forcefully.

"Let's go!" called Davis.

"Tram," began Telek. "You got an exit for us?"

"_I do," _said the Phantom pilot. _"Left second corridor, there's an opening, I'll be waiting on the other side. Hurry!"_

"Got it," said Telek. "Okay, people, this way."

The scuttling noises of the Flood drew nearer, and the trio ran for their lives again, shooting down any of the Combat Forms or the small scuttling Infection Forms that got too close. Alan's heart was pounding in his chest as he followed the others down the corridor. Every second he feared that any of them would be killed – or worse, infected.

At last they saw daylight, and dashed straight through the opening. The Phantom was hovering mere feet away from the exit, and Alan was almost blinded by the dazzling sunlight after so long spent in the Library. As soon as all three on board, the Phantom shot up into the sky. The pilot obviously didn't want to risk any Flood getting on board the ship, and Alan was almost thrown out of it as it lurched skywards. Telek had to grab his shirt and pull him inside, quickly sealing the ship up for space flight.

Alan collapsed onto one of the seats, breathing hard, his eyes tight closed. That had to have been one of the scariest experiences of his life. The paralysing terror that he had tried to suppress since his encounter with the Gravemind was now threatening to consume him, and he found it hard to stop every muscle in his body from seizing up then and there.

"And you thought King Ghidorah was bad before…" Telek gasped.

"Yeah," Alan whispered. "Fucking hell..."

"That is how he was when the Forerunners fought him," he said. "And the only way to escape him was to commit suicide. You just got a taste of that horror."

"I'd rather avoid the full course then," groaned Alan.

"When we get back to the ship, you can tell me how King Ghidorah knows you by name," said Telek. "It seems like you and he have some history as well."

"It's a long story," Alan sighed.

Telek turned to Davis: "You alright?"

"Just trying to categorize all the info I just downloaded," said Davis. "And catch my breath."

"Got those coordinates?" Telek asked.

"Yup, I got them," he said. "What did Gravemind mean we wouldn't find our answers at the Ark?"

"I don't know," Telek said. "I think he's just pullin' our leg. Messin' with our heads. I said he would."

"He doesn't want us to find Kiryuu," said Davis.

"He likes playing around with us—like we're the ball of yarn and he's the cat," said Telek. "And he gets off on spinnin' our heads around."

The big Sangheili leaned against the side of the Phantom and sighed. He heard the pilot requesting permission to dock with the _Shadow of Darkness._ Tram turned around and nodded to Telek.

"I have a report from Commander Shri 'Canthon," he said.

"She make it off?" asked Telek.

"Yes, sir," said Tram. "And so did the _Serenity _crew. By the skin of their teeth, no less. The Flood almost got to them as well."

"Shri?" Telek asked, calling her through the comlink. "You read me?"

"_I do," _said Shri. _"Damned Flood. They just popped out of nowhere. No one got hurt though. Thank goodness. We ran the moment we saw them. We managed to escape with some parts, but we did have to drop the heavy stuff."_

"I don't care about that," said Telek. "I don't want anyone to be Flood bait."

"_Gravemind isn't going to get us today," _said Shri.

"Thank goodness," Telek sighed, relieved.

The Phantom glided smoothly back into the hangar. As soon as the occupants stepped back out of the ship, Alan saw the _Serenity_ crew waiting for him. Aside from looking exhausted, none of them seemed the worse for wear.

"Captain!" Rachel called, a look of enormous relief on her face. Alan walked across the hangar to them, while Telek and Davis made their way up to the bridge.

"You guys got what you needed?" asked Alistair.

"Only just," Alan said. "What happened to you guys?"

"Masses of Flood suddenly attacked us!" said Alistair. "I swear they just came at us from thin air! We only just got away!"

"We had to leave behind some great parts too..." said Rachel, looking crestfallen. "It was so pretty there as well..."

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" said Alan.

"Did I hear right?" Alistair cut in. "Did Shri say what I thought she said; there was a Gravemind down there?"

"She was right," replied Alan. "It cornered us in the Library."

"That would account for the seismic activity I detected," Bishop chimed in. "What did it do?"

"It's just as Telek said," Alan said, shaking his head. "That thing is King Ghidorah mark two. It even has his memories and everything!"

"Sweet Jesus..." Alistair said with wide eyes.

"He's picked up some new habits," Alan said darkly. "He's started talking in rhyme, and he kept saying these gibberish riddles."

"Riddles?" Bishop said, looking very curious. "What did he say?"

"Um..." Alan held a hand up to his forehead, trying to remember what it was that King Ghidorah had said. Now that he was away from the Halo and the panic he had felt was starting to fade, his brain seemed to have become more alert. Bishop's words had given him something else to think about.

"Well, he said something about the Ark..." he said, his brow furrowed. "Something about not finding the answers there... Yes, he said 'three seats but one bare'."

"The hell?" said José. "Ain't we supposed to be finding this Ark thing?"

"Yeah..." Alan said. "'Three seats but one bare'... We are supposed to be looking for three people... Kiryuu, the Master Chief... and someone else called Cortana. This is the first I've heard of this person."

"I think the answer's obvious," Bishop said. "If King Ghidorah is to be believed, then we will only find two out of the three we are searching for at the site of the Ark."

"So what about number three?" asked Alistair. "Did King Ghidorah say anything else?"

"Something about 'Pandora's Box'..." Alan muttered. "Pandora..." All of a sudden he had a horrible feeling in his gut. Surely it couldn't be what he was thinking of... could it?

"Oh no..." José muttered. He apparently had come to the same conclusion that Alan had. "He doesn't mean..."

"No," Alan said firmly, shaking his head. "No, no, it can't mean that. It's too obvious. I really doubt he'd make it so easy. It's practically giving Kiryuu to us."

"Maybe that's his intention, Alan," Bishop said, his face very grave. "Don't forget that Kiryuu has been King Ghidorah's prisoner for a month."

"Yeah, and I still can't believe you didn't tell us about that!" added Rachel.

"There's no telling what could have happened to him," Bishop continued. "He might have finally succumbed to King Ghidorah's will, and this is his idea of a trap for us."

"Or, more likely, it's a bluff," Alistair said.

"Telek said the same thing," snarled Alan. "That bastard King Ghidorah drives me nuts. Not just the murder and the mayhem, but the mind games."

"It may be prudent to tell Telek what we've discussed," Bishop said. "Wherever the site of the Ark is, it may be wiser to check more... local sites first, as a precaution. We don't know how long it will be before we get a chance to double-check."

"Alright," Alan sighed, "but I don't know what good it'll do. You guys get to work on the spare parts in the meantime."

Alan began to run out of the hangar and towards the bridge. As he entered the corridor, however, the ship gave a sudden jolt, and a high-pitched whine could be heard from the engines. They were the tell-tale signs of the ship entering slip-space, and Alan groaned. Just then Davis approached him, coming down the corridor on one of the small transports.

"Thought I'd look in on you guys," he said to Alan.

"Tell me we haven't already entered slip-space..." said Alan, almost pleadingly.

"We have," Davis said. "I gave the coordinates to Joli and Telek wanted to go immediately. He wouldn't even wait two minutes for me to get back to the _Transcending Vigilance_." He noticed Alan's harassed expression and looked concerned. "What's wrong? Was there something you wanted to say to Telek?"

Alan was torn. He wanted to yell at Telek until his ears fell off for being so impatient. He knew that Telek wanted this mission to be over, but he felt that the idea that had formed in his head couldn't be ignored. Instead of saying this, however, he just sighed.

"Never mind, it's too late now," said Alan. "It wasn't that important anyway, just a gut feeling."

"It's about what Gravemind said, isn't it?" asked Davis. "Look, don't let it bother you. That monster's a chronic liar and backstabber; I'd take anything he says with a few hundred pinches of salt."

"Yeah..." Alan muttered. "Maybe you're right." As he was about to head on up to the bridge, Davis placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I probably shouldn't say this," he said, in an undertone, "but all of us on the _Vigilance_ are rooting for you _Serenity_ guys."

"What?" Alan said, clearly surprised. "After what I did?"

"Hey, you saved Tom's life, remember?" Davis said encouragingly. "That's a few points in your favour. Besides, Xovu would have been devastated if one of the last Fireflies was blown to bits."


	8. Getting to Know You

**Getting To Know You...**

Though the recovery of the Ark's location cut down the travel time considerably, the voyage there was still taking a considerable amount of time. The crew was kept busy at all times, doing everything in their power to keep the ship's systems working properly. The spare parts that had been recovered from Halo 05 helped somewhat, but the loss of the more valuable pieces was a blow.

Even with the work he was putting in, however, Alan had not had a peaceful night's sleep for the past six days. Every night since his unwanted reunion with King Ghidorah, he had been reliving the events which had brought him to this point, including once again witnessing the atrocities that the golden demon had committed. On the seventh day it happened again, and Alan awakened in his cabin, panting, his face streaked with sweat. He moved his legs over the side of the bunk, rubbing his temples. He let out a low groan. Every time he woke up like this he was never able to get back to sleep. He knew he should try; he had a long shift coming up in the hangar that day. There didn't seem to be much point, however. He checked his chronometer and saw that it was still very early. As he contemplated the idea of trying to sleep again, a voice came through on the ship's intercom.

"_Captain Tyler,"_ Joli's voice said, _"His Excellency wants you to report to his cabin ASAP."_

Alan shook his head in disbelief. He had no idea why Telek would want to see him at such an awkward hour. When he thought about it, he had to wonder how Telek knew he would even be awake. What also surprised him was that he and Telek had hardly seen each other since the mission to Halo 05; apparently Telek had not seen any reason to have him around until now.

Full of apprehension, he dressed, grabbed a mug of coffee and made his way to Telek's cabin. As the commanding officer on the ship Telek's cabin was a considerable distance away from the crew's quarters. Alan tried to remember where it was located; he had not visited it before and could only vaguely remember the directions given to him. Telek had been right; the ship was like a maze, and though he had grown more familiar with it over the past week some parts of it were still a mystery to him. When he was sure that he had finally reached the right door he knocked on it.

"Come in," Telek called through the door as it opened. He swung his chair around, his face stern. "Alan, glad you could make it."

"Um," Alan began. "You wanted to see me?"

"I did," he replied. "Dunkelzahn told me you'd be up around this time, so I'd reckon it would be a good time for us to chat."

Alan shuffled himself across the floor, confused as to why Telek would want to speak to him.

"Have a seat, captain," Telek said. "You and I have much to talk about."

Telek leaned into the smaller being before him and grinned a toothy grin.

"I've been wonderin' about you these past days, kid," he said. "Dunkelzahn told me that you seem to be having some problems sleeping."

"He has been watching me?" Alan asked.

"You know how he is," said Telek. "He senses things, and he's been sensing your distress. Now, because of your lack of sleep, you haven't been pullin' your weight around as well as the others. I'm concerned. You need your rest, you know." He leaned back and crossed his arms. "Your problems sleeping seemed to have started ever since we left the Library—ever since you saw King Ghidorah. I asked how it is that the three-headed menace knew you by name. So far, you haven't told me. I figured perhaps now would be a good time. So tell me, what's up?" He spoke a little louder. "What's been goin' on? Time to get it off your chest. Something tells me you need it."

Alan sighed. He had wanted to avoid this moment, but now that it was here it seemed that it was best to just get it out of the way. Telek wanted to know his history with King Ghidorah, and it seemed clear that he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"The first time I met King Ghidorah," he began with a heavy voice, "was back in 2005. Back then, he used to arrive on Earth, hidden inside these meteorites. One landed outside Newcastle, and from there he systematically wiped out the entire country. I got caught up in it all when he destroyed my hometown. He slaughtered everyone there, including my parents.

"Back then I used to follow monsters like him and gather data on him. Call me bloody stupid - I sure do in retrospect – but I followed him all the way down to London, just as he was laying waste to it." He paused for a moment to look down at his grey-scaled, animalistic claw. "I was still mostly human back then, but King Ghidorah knew what I was as soon as he clapped eyes on me. Maybe he felt like torturing someone with Godzilla's blood some more; he'd killed most of Kiryuu's family billions of years before. He... he tortured me and toyed with me. He would have killed me if Mothra hadn't shown up and driven him off. He was cocky then; he didn't reckon on Mothra still being around and the napalm cannons that the soldiers used. He buggered off back into space to lick his wounds for two years.

"The British and American governments tried to sweep it under the rug. It turned out that their scientists had a hand in calling him to Earth, and they were afraid that piece of news would get out sooner or later. Kiryuu helped me get the evidence I needed to tell the whole story. That was the first time we crossed paths. I couldn't stand the bastard, especially after I learned what he really was. I thought even less of him when the trail he put me on led me to the truth about the CCI's experiments. It wasn't until recently when I came to terms with the idea of him being family; I mean, there's no point denying it now, is there?"

"He can still be family and you can still not like him," said Telek. "Who said you have to like family?" Alan chuckled slightly before continuing.

"Anyway, King Ghidorah attacked again two years later, in Knoxville, Tennessee. I headed there to find out what he wanted from that place. I saw the rise of the Mountains of the Phoenix, and how he turned several states into a volcanic hell-hole for a long time. Manda put me on the trail of something under Knoxville. It turned out to be some kind of massive Technomantic cannon, which one of King Ghidorah's Liches was trying to power up. If anything went wrong when its master confronted Kiryuu, it would use it to just wipe Kiryuu out of existence. That was when I first learned of how he's able to possess people; even just a piece of his skin will suffice. As I remember, his Liche ended up looking a lot like him." He sighed again, a look of revulsion on his face. "I saw King Ghidorah die. Kiryuu had promised me that he would never build another Oxygen Destroyer, but he did so to kill that monster, or at least his body.

"You've probably already guessed that that wasn't the end of it. We crossed paths again in the year 2071. The company that had been contracted to dispose of King Ghidorah's remains held onto them and studied them. Don't ask me how it was possible, but the cells from the Oxygen Destroyer coupled with the skeleton allowed him to come back as this swarm of parasites. He tried to resurrect himself through using another. Alistair mentioned the gargoyle called Demona. She was infected with the queen parasite by a scientist studying the parasite, and she ended up getting possessed by King Ghidorah. He told her that he could help her to destroy the human race that she hated so much. She went on to infect nearly all of the population in Manhattan. They were a lot like the Flood, in so many ways, all mindless, savage creatures that followed King Ghidorah's will. I barely managed to stop Demona and destroy the parasite. That was the night before my mutations got out of control, and I had to go into cryo-sleep, and... Well, no doubt Cujo's told you the rest."

Alan stopped here again. The memories of that time were too painful for him to recount. Going into cryo-sleep meant that he had to leave someone very special to him. He didn't know what had happened to her in the end; he had not had an opportunity to find out. He shook his head, looking back over at Telek.

"Ever since I saw him again in that Library," he said, "I've been seeing it all again every night. Only now it's much worse. Now I see him with all the Flood under his command, swarming everywhere, possessing people left and right..." He looked away from Telek, his eyes tightly shut. "I keep seeing them... The faces of everyone I've ever cared about... I watch them get infected and turned into Flood right in front of my eyes. I can't get their faces out of my head... They all become servants of King Ghidorah, and there's nothing I can do to stop it..."

He broke off, leaning forwards in his chair as if trying to hide his face from Telek.

"I've seen the Flood possess the people I love," said Telek. "You only have dreamt what it would be like, to lose friends to the Flood—I have actually lost them. The first one I lost was Jacob Keyes. He was the captain of the _Pillar of Autumn_. The second was Tekn 'Morud, my second in command on board my previous ship _Shade of Darkness._ Not only that, but I lost the entire ship and most of her crew to the Flood! I had to destroy her in order to keep the Flood from using her. I've seen what it looks like for people to be possessed by that virus. They stop being your friend, the person you knew, and they start being something else. Back then, we didn't even realize that it was King Ghidorah who controlled the Flood—not until we got to the Ark. He revealed himself to us as if he knew he was going to triumph. And you know what? Despite the fact we blew up the Flood-infested hive of High Charity, he did win. He took everything we cared about.

"This monster has no solid motive. We don't know exactly what he wants. From what I've seen, all he wants is to consume all knowledge, all individual thought, all emotion, and the very essence of life itself into his being. Why, I don't know. He never made it clear for us. He's a foe we cannot predict, we cannot really understand so therefore how are we expected to defeat him? He can control people, and even machines. He even possessed me."

Telek sighed and leaned back against his chair again.

"I'm gonna tell you something that no one else knows except for a certain, trusted few," he began. "You already know that I was once possessed by King Ghidorah. But I will tell you why. How could I come in contact with him in order for him to take hold of me? Well, I was 'bitten' by a Flood Infection form back on Halo 04. The little critter injected its retrovirus into my system. Only because of ethanol poisoning, it could not mutate me into a Combat Form. But that didn't mean King Ghidorah couldn't control me. And he did. He almost made me kill my friend and teacher—the Arbiter Otto 'Gamam. But here's the killer. I still have his cells inside of me. Kiryuu says that King Ghidorah can't possess me again, but I don't know. He's in me, in my blood and I fear every day that maybe he'll get at me again. That's why I can sense him. But sometimes it's not me I fear him getting, but others too because I'm always around them, and he's in me. I'm always on my guard." He leaned back in closer to Alan. "The Flood is King Ghidorah's Wild Card. Anything else created is nothing compared to them. They can spread so quickly over a short period of time. Now, I just hope that Kiryuu is alright. Though I hate the guy, even he doesn't deserve King Ghidorah's torment."

"No-one does," Alan said bitterly, shaking his head. "I wouldn't wish him on my worst enemies." He paused for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.

"I wish we could get to the Ark sooner," he said. "Kiryuu was in a bad way when I saw him in that dream-world. King Ghidorah's really done a number on him. I'm not sure he's been able to hold on for this long." He rested his knees on his legs, clenching his fists together. "All we can do is hope for the best, and prepare for the worst."

"Yeah, that's right," said Telek. "Well, I suppose that's it for now."

Telek finally got up and Alan followed him.

"You are dismissed," he said. "I suppose you might as well get an early start on work. I have to go listen to some gripes from Swifty for not letting Shri make off with the good stuff. He just doesn't get it mostly because Hurogoks aren't Flood compatible. I should make him go fish for his own damned parts on a Flood infested Halo if he's gonna be so snide about it."

"I'll go see what needs doing in the hangar then," said Alan. "From the looks of that place, we'll be clearing parts in there until we reach the Ark."

Just as Alan was about to leave Telek's cabin, the big Elite stopped him.

"Just a moment," he said. "I want to inform you that I'm not letting you or your crew off the hook for what you did back at Illium. Just because we're focusing on getting to the Ark, doesn't mean I have forgotten about it. But I'm not one to mix business with my own personal grudges. I need you for various tasks, but don't think I've forgotten and decided to be all buddy-buddy with you."

"I'm not expecting friendship," Alan said, in perhaps a colder tone than he had intended. "I expect you to be the Supreme Commander; nothing more, nothing less."

Alan then left Telek's cabin, somehow feeling worse than he had done before he went in.

0

Alan could not say for certain how much time passed during the voyage to the Ark. The days of hard labour and odd jobs all seemed to become a blur, until Alan couldn't tell whether weeks or months had passed. The longer the journey took, the more anxious he became. He was getting increasingly worried for Kiryuu, and feared that the time they had spent on this voyage had doomed him, especially as a nagging doubt in his mind kept telling him that they were going in the wrong direction. Neither the _Serenity_ crew nor the _Shadow of Darkness_ crew saw much of him; he spent most of his free time in his cabin, reading through the notes that Kiryuu had left him on his commlink, though he had the horrible feeling that not even Kiryuu could have adequately prepared him for whatever lay ahead.

At last, after what felt like an eternity to Alan, the news he had waited for reached his ears; the ship was slowing down, dropping out of slip-space.

Telek was on the bridge, standing up on the central platform near his command chair. His arms folded behind him as he viewed the image in the holographic screens. Alan and his crew finally walked in, already summoned to the bridge. Telek turned just slightly in away to acknowledge their presence, but then returned to facing the screen. There in the large screen was an image of wreckage. The Ark, or what was left of it, was shattered. Around the Ark itself were pieces of the fragmented Halo 04 Beta left over from when it was activated to destroy the Ark in order to get rid of the Flood. Telek glanced around, keeping his eye out for possibly any fragment of High Charity that could potentially contain Flood. The last thing he needed was for the fragments to impale into the hull of his ship and infect it. He could not afford to lose another ship to them.

"Scan the area for any UNSC beacon that might have been dropped," said Telek. "Cujo, Mitsu, Tulsa, Wago, Tom! Spread out and begin your search. Scan for UNSC beacons. One you've found it, inform me and I'll bring my ship over to bring the missing fragment of the _Dawn _inside."

"_Yes, Excellency,"_ said Mitsu.

"_Beginning wide search now,"_ said Tulsa.

"_Is it possible that they may have dropped out of Slipspace after the portal closed on them and they're a little bit closer to our galaxy than we thought?"_ asked Wago.

"Just search, Wago," said Telek. "We've made it out this far and I'm surprised we did it so swiftly. It took us nearly a month to get to the Ark and that was with the spacebridge. I'm surprised I managed to do it in under two."

"_Yes, Excellency," _said Wago.

"_We'll report in when we find something," _said Tom.

"_Hey, Telek, it may be a good idea to have Alan and his crew get in the _Serenity_ and help in the search," _said Cujo. _"An extra pair of eyes is always a plus."_

"I suppose it would," said Telek. "Not like they can go nowheres now that we're out of the galaxy itself."

"_I wish you wouldn't treat them like prisoners, Telek," _said Cujo. Telek just scoffed.

He turned back to Alan and pressed a button his chair. The view on the screen panned over from the Ark to another object in the empty, black space around them. There, Alan saw what looked to be an enormous spiral galaxy with a glowing bar at the central bulge. Telek sat in his chair.

"I'd say you ain't goin' anywhere," he said. "We are currently 65 thousand light-years into pretty much bum-fucked-empty space. Two to the eighteenth light-years from galactic centre. Nothing but vacuum separating us, the Ark, and the Milky Way Galaxy. So, I'm sure I can trust that you will help in the search."

"We're not your prisoners," said Alan.

"Of course not," said Telek. "If you were, your home would be the brig."

"We want to help you find Kiryuu," said Alan. "That's why we're here."

"Well, get in your little ship," Telek began. "And start helping us search. However, if you do find the _Dawn_, let me know. I want to bring it on board so we can quickly interface with Cortana and hopefully revive John and Kiryuu. Then, I can finally end this crazy quest. Though, I'm not so sure if I could ever go home."

"That makes two of us," Alan said quietly. Even if Kiryuu was found, Alan doubted that Telek would let him go after the trouble he caused on Illium.

He and the rest of the crew worked their way back down to the hangar, and within minutes had boarded the _Serenity_. Now that he was back on the ship that had served him so well, he no longer felt so anxious. He had a job to do, so they would get on with it. When he went down to the engine room Rachel was already there, and the drive core sprang into life. Seeing that there didn't seem to be anything here that required his attention, he left, though he overheard Rachel say "I missed you too, girl."

The _Serenity_ flew as well as she had before, and Bishop was soon smoothly guiding her out of the hangar. The spectacular sight of the whole Milky Way galaxy awaited them, shining brightly in the void.

"I'm beginning my scans for any UNSC frequencies," Bishop said. "The rest of the fleet is spread out in a wide pattern; I'll find a gap in their search pattern that we can fill."

"Right," said Alan. "Try to keep a fix on their locations too. Remember we have no star charts out here; the last thing I want is for us to get lost."

"Even so, we should search as far as we can," said Bishop. "The destruction of the Ark could have thrown the wreckage a great distance."

Time passed, and as the hours wore on Alan felt waves of doubt washing over him. One by one the other ships slipped out of their scanner range; it was hard to tell just how far they were all travelling. They tried to speed themselves up a little by firing up the old fusion drive, which they had retained when only quick bursts of speed were required, but out here it seemed to make absolutely no difference. Alan was on the point of telling Bishop to turn the ship around and try to relocate the _Shadow of Darkness_, when a faint blip suddenly appeared on their scanner.

"Captain," Bishop said, "I'm picking up a distress beacon. The frequency matches known UNSC parameters. It's very faint, perhaps as a result of the signal losing strength over time."

"It has to be them," Alistair shrugged. "How many other UNSC ships could have made it out here?"

"Can you get a fix on its position?" Alan asked.

"I can," said Bishop. "It's not far from here; we should have a visual within the next few minutes."

"Take us in closer," said Alan. "Let's make absolutely sure before we go bothering Telek."

They glided in the direction of the beacon, and ten minutes later they saw the source. It was the entire aft section of a UNSC frigate, including the main engines and the cargo bay, floating serenely in the void. The tear which separated this part from the rest was very neat, as if the ship had been slashed neatly in two by a gigantic sword. José had walked onto the bridge to see the ship for himself, and his mouth fell open.

"Caramba..." he breathed. "Telek and the Arbiter must have had a rough ride. They would only have had the retros left to get themselves to Earth!"

"I'm not picking up any active life-signs, Captain," Bishop said. "It looks like they still have power on the vessel though; enough to sustain the cryo-tubes, at least. If there are any survivors on board, they'll be in cryo-stasis."

"Kiryuu had better be on there," Alan muttered. "I really don't want to tell Telek that we've been going the wrong way."

"Hey, there should still be two out of three, right?" Alistair chimed in. "Better than a poke in the eye, if you ask me."

Even with this more optimistic outlook taken into account, Alan still couldn't help but feel a great deal of apprehension as he sat at the co-pilot's console and hailed the _Shadow of Darkness_.

"_Shadow of Darkness_, this is _Serenity_," he said. "We've found them. Repeat, we've found them."

"_Excellent,"_ said Telek's voice over the radio. _"We'll be heading for your ship in just a little bit. Do not enter that ship. I don't know what sort of damage it has, or what has happened to it during the time it's been out here. I don't want you all to cause any further damage. If Cortana is in there, she won't recognize any of you and if I am correct, in her current state—that is bad. The last thing we need is a rampant AI harming innocents."_

"Understood," Alan replied. "We'll sit tight until you get here." As Alan closed the channel, he turned to Bishop. "Did he say what I thought he said? This Cortana isn't a person at all?"

"Your hearing has not suddenly become impaired," replied Bishop. "Artificial Intelligence has come on a long way since you were in cryo-sleep. I myself am an example, and all of the large UNSC frigates have an advanced AI on board. To tell you the truth they have become so advanced that they threaten to outmode androids." Alan thought he saw a flicker of resentment cross Bishop's face. "To my credit, at least I can leave my assigned vessel without needing to be downloaded to someone's commlink."

Alan couldn't help smiling. He never thought he would find himself encountering the concept of machines becoming jealous of each other.

"Why can't we go over to the ship, boss?" José asked. "She looks safe enough."

"Hasn't your time on board _Serenity_ taught you anything?" Alan retorted. "Appearances can be deceptive. We don't know what sort of state the integrity is in; I'd rather not risk it collapsing and taking any of you guys with it."

"But if we just took a little peek..." José began, but Alan cut him off.

"No," he said firmly. "Besides, even if it is safe, I don't want you giving Telek an excuse to toss you in the brig, or worse. We'll do a few laps around the ship while we wait though; get a good look at it from every angle."

After several minutes spent flying around the ship and examining it from every angle, Bishop concluded that there didn't seem to be anything untoward with the wreck. For all the damage that had been caused he was surprised at just how intact this section of the ship was. Clearly Lofwyr had built these ships to last. Eventually they found themselves peering right into the cut-off section of the ship. It was a bizarre sight, as if they were looking at a set of very detailed blueprints.

"Is there any way we can get a good look inside?" asked Alan. "Without having to go out there, I mean."

"We could try sweeping the floodlights in there," said Alistair. "They're supposed to be for night landings, but we hardly use the things these days."

Alan nodded, and Alistair began manipulating controls on the co-pilot's console. Two spots of light began to sweep around the cross-section, peering into every silent deck. Bishop moved the _Serenity_ around to get a better look. However, at this distance it was too difficult to see anything clearly. On one deck Alan thought he saw the shadow of a figure cast onto the back wall, but decided that it could just as easily have been a trick of the light.

"Captain," Bishop suddenly said. "I'm getting an inbound ship on the scanners. I think it's the _Shadow of Darkness_. They're hailing us."

"Let them through," said Alan.

"_Serenity,"_ Joli's voice said over the radio, _"take your ship clear. We'll attempt to tow the wreck into the hangar using our gravity lift."_

"Roger that," Alan replied. "We can't find anything to suggest compromised hull integrity, but be careful all the same. Getting split in two's bound to have weakened it."

Moments later the _Serenity_ glided clear of the sad remains, and the crew watched it being enveloped in a soft violet light. Slowly the wreckage moved towards the gaping hole which lead into the cavernous hangar, finally coming gently to rest on the floor. When it was safe for them to do so, Bishop followed the remains back into the hangar and landed smoothly on the floor. The crew stepped out to get a good look at their find. Now that they were so close to it, Alan saw just how large even this section of the ship was, though even if it was whole he was sure that it would still look absolutely tiny in comparison to the _Shadow of Darkness_.

Immediately, Telek had made his way to the hangar. He paused when he finally saw the severed aft end of the _Forward Until Dawn_ resting in the centre of his hangar. The _Serenity_ crew had already stepped out of their ship. Telek held up a gloved hand, signalling that they should not approach it. He took in a sniff of the air, making sure that the Flood was not around. So far, so good, no Flood.

"Alright, let's go," he called to his Sangheili warriors. "Make your way into the cargo bay and into the cryo-bay. Hopefully all three of them will be intact."

Swiftly, the Sangheili began to crawl into the cargo bay of the UNSC frigate. Telek followed after them, holding up a light as he went, winding himself in and out of fallen debris inside the ship itself. What seemed almost an eternity, the Sangheili finally came across the cryo-bay and a single cryo-tube was lit. Frost still covered the class casing. Telek gasped, his brow furrowed when he saw the tube. He pushed some of his Major Domos and Minors out of the way, coming to stop next to the tube itself. He glanced around, but found no sign of Kiryuu Knight.

"The President isn't here," he heard one of his Majors say.

"Search the frigate!" Telek barked. "Everywhere. Leave no stone unturned. Find him!" He finally turned to a holotank in front of the tube itself. "Cortana. Cortana, answer me. Cortana!"

The holographic image female human form flickered on over the holotank. She was kneeling down and she slowly lifted her head up. Her eyes widened with shock and disbelief when she saw Telek slowly lower himself to her.

"A—Admiral?" she asked. "Telek?"

"Hey, princess," Telek said with a smile. "You didn't think I'd come back for you, did you?"

"You—came all this—way?" Cortana asked. "How—how did you…"

"I voided the warranty on my damned ship," he replied. "Had Swifty upgrade the fuck outta the engines. But it doesn't matter. I'm here, you're here. The Chief's here. Where's Kiryuu?"

"He—I—don't…" Cortana curled up. "He—left. Something…I called out to him. I screamed! He left me—alone."

"Something took him?" Telek asked. "Who?"

"Something—gold—three heads…" Cortana replied.

"Gravemind?" Telek asked.

"I think," she replied. "I—I thought it was a nightmare. I'm having nightmares!"

"Easy!" Telek called. "Easy, sugarplum. Are you well?"

"No," she replied. "After—all this time. After spending time—in the Core at Halo 04 and what Gravemind did—to me. I…"

"It's okay," he said. "You don't have to say. How's the Chief?"

"Still alive," Cortana replied.

Telek walked over to the tube and inspected it. He noticed some parts of the tube were damaged and he was afraid to even attempt to remove the Spartan from his sleeping chamber without properly repairing the tube.

"Okay," he said. Telek pulled out a data crystal and lowered it to Cortana. "You're gonna stay with me until we fix the Chief. Okay?"

"Yes," Cortana replied, nodding. She vanished and her conscious was transferred over into the chip. Telek opened a slot in his own armour and slid the chip in. For the first time a UNSC AI interfaced with a Sangheili's armour.

"How's it feel in there?" Telek asked.

"Alien," Cortana replied. "But—I'm not alone."

"Don't worry, pumpkin, I'll take care of yah," he said. "Okay, all of you, disengage the cryo-tube, keep the auxiliary power going for the tube, and move it to the infirmary. Swiftly, I want you to report to Doc Erin at the infirmary to help in repairing the tube and then resuscitating the Chief."

He heard a whistle for a reply. Telek and his warriors filed out of the frigate. Right behind him, some of the Sangheili were starting to detach the cryo-tube and carry it out of the hole. He walked over to Alan and his crew.

"Kiryuu was not inside," he said. "He was nowhere to be found. Cortana said he was taken by Gravemind—of all the bastards in this universe."

"Son of a bitch!" Alan snarled, at no-one in-particular. He ran a claw through his hair and shook his head, pacing feverishly. "I knew it was too good to be true!"

"Well, looking on the bright side," said Rachel meekly, "we got two outta three. That's better than a kick in the teeth."

"That's what I said, more or less," Alistair muttered.

"Admiral," Cortana began. "Who—who are they?"

"Cortana, this is Alan Tyler, Captain of the Firefly-class transport ship the _Serenity_," said Telek. "And his crew. They are—acquaintances at the moment, helping us in finding you, the Chief and Kiryuu."

"How—how do they know Kiryuu?" Cortana asked.

"That's a little hard to explain, sugar," said Telek. "And in your condition, I don't want you to fret on it too much. You just take it easy." He turned his attention to Alan. "Cortana is currently in a data chip inside my armour, if you are wondering. However, her time interfacing with the Forerunner technology of Halo and also being tortured by King Ghidorah seem to have sped up her life. In other words—she's dying. I kinda had a feeling that was happening to her when the Chief got her out of High Charity. UNSC smart AIs only have a lifespan of 7 years. After that, they fail. I can see if Swifty can do something for her, but the only real person who might have a chance of saving her is Kiryuu Knight. All smart AIs were built on the schematics of Kiryuu's own AI. So, finding Kiryuu is not only an important factor for me, but it could very well save Cortana—give her back those 5 years that King Ghidorah took." He turned back to the cryo-tube being hauled up a ramp. "And that is Master Chief Petty-Officer John-117. He's a hero, a big hero. From what I heard, Alan, you already know what a Spartan is."

"Yeah," said Alan. "One was sent with Cujo and I when we went to Chicago. Nice lass called Nicole. I wonder what she's doing these days."

"Well, John is another Spartan," said Telek. "He's the quiet type, though, he doesn't like to say anything much. If he says something, it's usually one or two words. Cortana mostly does the talking for him when she's interfaced with his armour. And he practically lives in that armour. So, you probably will never see his face. Hell, I've never seen his face. I heard he's a blonde, though. I don't know. We don't want to take him out of the tube just yet. If we do that, we might harm him, or even kill him. So, probably for most of the ride back to our galaxy, we'll keep the Chief in his tube. I don't know how long it will take for us to get it working properly so we can revive him. I just hope he ain't brain-dead. Lord Hood will have my ass if he is." He placed a hand on his chest. "For now, Cortana will remain with me. Cortana, do you know where King Ghidorah took Kiryuu?"

"No—no," Cortana replied, her voice almost becoming a horrified whisper. "I—I don't."

"Just rest, princess," said Telek. "You don't need to think anymore about if you don't want to."

"Y—yes, sir," she said.

Telek sighed: "Trust me, she wasn't like this before. King Ghidorah did a number on her."

"A—Admiral, it's good—to hear a friendly—voice again," she whispered.

"It's good to hear your voice too, sweetie," said Telek with a soft smile.

Alan had a claw held up to his chin. He had expected something like this, but after all this trouble he was sure that Telek would not want to hear what he had to say.

"Do you wanna tell the puto, boss, or should I?" José suddenly said, peering at Alan.

"Tell me what?" snarled Telek, now glaring at Alan with narrowed eyes. Alan threw a similarly frosty glare back at José before addressing Telek.

"I wanted to tell you before we set out for the Ark," he said. "We didn't know for certain until now, but we think we know where Gravemind's taken Kiryuu."

"Oh no..." Rachel sighed, remembering what they had discussed after leaving the Halo. "You don't mean..."

"I'm afraid so," Alan said gravely. "We've got to go back to Pandora."

"How d'ya figure that?" said Telek sceptically. He remembered his conversation with Rachel and Bishop and that somewhere named 'Pandora' had been mentioned.

"Remember what Gravemind said on the Halo?" Alan asked. "'_Three seats but one bare_'... This is what he was talking about! He also said _'I know one of you does not wish to again dirty his socks, but be careful when you come across Pandora's Box'_. He was talking about me! He knew I'd been to Pandora, and that's where he's stashed Kiryuu! I can't think what else it might be!"

"Bullshit," snorted Telek. "It's too obvious."

"That's what I thought as well,' said Alan. 'Maybe that's the point though. He's got something waiting for us on Pandora that involves Kiryuu, and he wants us to find it. He wants us to fly straight into whatever trap he's got set up. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm sure that's how it is." Alan paused here, pacing again. He knew that Gravemind had pointed them towards such an obvious trap, but he couldn't see how avoiding it was going to help Kiryuu.

"Admiral, it could be a Flood trap," said Cortana.

Telek growled and folded his arms in thought: "I hate King Ghidorah."

"The feeling is mutual, mate," said Alan.

"Cortana, we have no choice," said Telek. "We have to save Kiryuu. I'd be wasting my time being all the way out here if I didn't get Kiryuu too. Better to die at the claws of King Ghidorah than wasting away at a penal mining coloney."

"Penal mining coloney?" Cortana asked. "You've gone rogue again?"

"Yup," he said. "I have. I guess it is selfish, wanting to put my life and the lives of my warriors on the line to save you, the Chief, and Kiryuu. But—I did give them all a chance to leave and I would go on alone. You know what they said? They said they wanted to come."

"Thanks, Admiral," she said. "But you shouldn't have."

"Well, I knew you'd miss me if I didn't," Telek said with a smile. "Alright. I'm afraid I have never been to this Pandora. I heard it was a mining coloney for the UNSC before the UNSC/Covenant War."

"Correct," replied Cortana. "The resource that was found by Omak Technologies and Magical Research was a substance called Unobtanium. Soñador Malcho was ordered to mine and process the mineral for the Insurrection Civil War—the war that happened prior to the first contact with the Covenant. However, mining was slowed due to the indigenous aboriginal species known as the Na'vi. And then mining stopped completely. It was never reported to ONI as to why. It seemed Malcho kept some information from the UNSC."

"We know why," said Alan.

"Sí," said José. "That idiota Jake Sully. A Marine who betrayed us and helped the Na'vi chase off the miners over 30 years ago."

"I see," said Telek as he started swiftly for his bridge. "You can fill me in on the way."

"You got it," said Alan, as he and the crew ran to catch up.

"Captain," said Bishop, "if Cortana will allow me, I may be able to make some modifications that will increase her lifespan slightly. I have experience in interfacing with ship AIs, and while I'll never be able to permanently restore her, I believe I can give her some more time."

"If she doesn't have a problem with it, I don't," Alan said. "Make sure you ask though."

"Pandora..." José snarled. "I can't believe we're flying back to that shit-hole."

"Yeah," said Alan with a sly grin. "The Na'vi won't be happy."


	9. Whole New World

**Whole New World**

Alan ended up spending the rest of the day telling Telek everything he knew about Pandora; topographical data, the climate, and especially the native life-forms. Alan knew that King Ghidorah had attacked Pandora at least once before, which went some way to explaining the Na'vi's hostility towards outsiders; they believed them to be thralls of the hydra seeking to destroy them. What he couldn't understand was how King Ghidorah had been driven back before; the Na'vi had no use for technology, which ruled out Technomancy. He was also concerned that King Ghidorah knew Alan had been to Pandora before, but he remembered that the hydra was an accomplished psychic. In any case, he warned Telek that the Na'vi would be somewhat less than welcoming.

Telek was on the other hand concerned for the stability of Cortana. Though she had interfaced with a Covenant ship before, he did not want to put any strain on her and insert her into his own ship's mainframe. For now, just allowing her to swim around inside the computerization of his own armor was enough. Bishop did offer to repair her somewhat and he allowed it. However, much like Swifty's own attempts, it was not enough. Telek hoped that he could get her to Kiryuu in time. Only he knew how to properly extend her life and get rid of the damage King Ghidorah did to her.

The crew worked harder than ever to prepare themselves for whatever trap King Ghidorah had prepared, but Alan wasn't sure if any amount of preparation would help them. He tried to push himself harder than he had ever done before, more in an effort to push the negative thoughts out of his head. Not only did he devote more energy to his work in the hangar, he was often found training himself in his cabin for several hours.

Whenever Alan saw the rest of the _Serenity_ crew they looked as nervous as he felt, but determined all the same. Alistair and José were often seen sparring in the hangar, while Bishop and Rachel buried themselves in work. Rachel was still concerned about the state of the engines, and was being more assertive in her suggestions to improve them. Bishop, meanwhile, busied himself both with trying to find a way to extend Cortana's life and in assisting with the Master Chief's recovery. The Spartan was still unconscious in the cryo-tank, and nursing him back to health was a long and laborious process.

Four days into the flight, an unexpected addition to Alan's life on the _Shadow of Darkness_ would surface. He was awakened by Joli, once again informing him that Telek wanted to see him. However, instead of being in his cabin, they were to meet in launch bay 42. Alan was puzzled; that was one of the areas that had been sealed off before, and it had been thoroughly searched for any spare parts that could be used. He had to wonder what Telek was thinking by arranging a meeting in such an obscure spot.

When Alan got to the launch bay, he found it quite empty and dimly-lit. There was no sign of Telek anywhere in the bay. He stepped cautiously into the chamber, his eyes scouring every corner. It was then that he saw that the room wasn't entirely empty; something was lying in the middle of the floor. Moving towards it, Alan eventually saw that it was the emitter for his whip.

Alan was sure that this was some sort of trick, but he couldn't detect any other obvious signs of danger. He knew that he would just have to ride out whatever plan Telek had in mind for him. He kneeled down and carefully picked up his weapon, every sense in his body stretched to its limit, hoping to detect some sign of trouble.

That was when, just for a split-second, he heard a shuffling of feet. Instinct took over, and Alan rolled out of the way just as something brushed past him. Trembling, he got to his feet, and saw the faint outline of optic camouflage, which even now was slowly dissolving, revealing Telek's presence. The enormous Sangheili was holding a crackling blue energy sword, and he was already shifting into a combat pose. Alan in turn twisted the handle of his whip and allowed the line to fall free. It was now in its Technomantic form, imbued with properties similar to an energy sword and emitting a steady blue glow of its own.

"Is this your idea of a dramatic opening to a sparring session?" Alan asked wryly.

"Tryin' to keep you on your toes, kid," Telek said. "This ain't like London, or Knoxville, or New York. This is a whole different situation. And it's time for you to toughen up."

With that, he drew another sword emitter from his side and ignited it. Lifting both plasma swords up, he crossed them in front of his face.

"There is a saying among us Sangheili," he said. "The blade, once drawn, must never be sheathed until it draws its opponent's blood. I intend to draw yours. Let's see you try and stop me, Little Godzilla."

"Bring it," Alan retorted, bracing himself.

Telek, in a full blur, started his lunge. Both blades crossed again as he came around the back of Alan. He swung one blade down and before Alan could move, nicked his shoulder. Then, with a swift downward kick, Telek slammed Alan to the floor. He held the mutant under his foot and pointed his sword right at his nose, lifting the other sword up above his head. His expression was straight. He held no smile, no frown, though his cyan-blue eyes flashed when the glow of the sword came across his face.

Alan, in turn, lashed out with the whip, forcing Telek to jump back to avoid losing his leg. Alan rolled to the side and got back to his feet, swinging the whip around his head before lashing at Telek. The Sangheili dodged the first lash, and parried the second with one of his swords. With blinding speed Telek made another lunge, but this time Alan was ready. He flailed his arm around above his head as Telek moved to dash behind him, the line of white-hot energy seeming to surround him as he did so. Suddenly, as Telek tried to lunge through an opening, Alan turned on the spot, sending the whip in his direction. Telek dodged the strike, but Alan suddenly turned again, and he was batted aside by Alan's long tail. The Sangheili was winded, but recovered quickly, jumping straight back to his feet.

"Otto taught you well," said Telek. "I heard about you and him having a little go. But I'll tell you this; I won't go as easy on you as he did. He never did with me. And I never did with any of my students. Cujo can vouch for that."

He lowered one of his swords and allowed it to drag the floor, cutting a gash into the metal.

"I'm gonna teach you how to fight, kid," he said, bringing both swords up. "By the time we reach Pandora, you'll be able to do more than just run and hide."

"You calling me a coward?" Alan asked.

"No," Telek said. "Ain't nothin' wrong with runnin' and hidin'. Spec Ops Sangheili warriors do that a lot. Why do you think we have cloaking devices installed in our armor? We're the perfect spies. But we know how to fight when we have to fight. We take the dangerous jobs—the jobs no one ever sees—and we do the dirty work that has to be done. We're the assassins, the infiltrators, and the interrogators. But it takes a lot more than strength to do what I used to do—it takes brains. You don't seem like the type that has a lot of that. I can just sit here all day and swing my sword at you and what would that prove? That I can swing a sword? Any two-bit moron with arms can do that. But it takes finesse to outwit your opponent. Strategy. Know your enemy's next move before they make it and before you make yours." Telek rose his sword up and pointed the blade at Alan. "And that's how you fight. I can turn both blades off and have you attack me now. But I bet you 20 bucks that before you even can make a move, I can cut half that ponytail off your head."

"You're joking," said Alan. "You'd probably cut my head clean off if you try."

"20 bucks," Telek chuckled, turning off both blades. "I win, you lose half your ponytail and 20 bucks, I lose, I give you 20 bucks."

"I don't have 20 on me," he said.

"Then we make a different bet," said the Supreme Commander. "What do you suggest?"

"Well, how about we make this interesting?" asked Alan. "If you win, you lop off half of my ponytail. If I win though, my crew and I go free. I know what I'm up against, and I figure the reward has to be worth the risk, don't you?"

"Flattery will get ya nowhere, kid," Telek drawled, smirking. "But you've got yourself a deal."

With that, the two were once again sparring, trading sword swipes and whip lashes. Alan soon came to realise that no-one had been exaggerating Telek's combat prowess. The old Sangheili warrior was incredible, moving with the grace of a ballet dancer, and every strike aimed to perfection, to the point where Alan had very real trouble deflecting his attacks. Soon every muscle in Alan's body seemed to scream in protest, but he forced himself to keep fighting.

Suddenly Telek cloaked himself once again, and Alan ceased his attacks, straining every one of his senses to pick up some sign of him. This had not been an unexpected move, but Alan still found it hard to keep his nerves in check. He backed away slowly, peering all around him anxiously. All of a sudden he felt a sharp gust of wind behind him, and he lashed out in that direction with the whip. The line snagged around something, and as Alan pulled he saw an energy sword go spinning away along the floor. In front of him, Telek de-cloaked.

_One down, one to go,_ Alan thought, bracing himself for the next attack. However, it never came, and Telek had a large smirk on his mandibles. Slowly and deliberately, he raised his other arm, which Alan hadn't seen to this point, and instead of revealing another energy sword, he was now holding a bunch of ash-brown hairs. Dumbstruck, Alan felt behind him, now noticing that the formerly-long ponytail was now a good deal shorter, the excess hair cut very neatly off.

"Maybe I'll find a nice space for it on my wall," the Sangheili said. "I want you back here every day, before and after your shift. By the time this voyage is over, you'll be walkin', talkin' and thinkin' Sangheili Spec Ops. Or you'll be a nervous wreck, and if that happens you're headin' outta the airlock. I ain't wastin' time on a lost cause. You might wanna keep that in mind durin' your shift."

He took Alan's whip emitter away and marched out of the launch bay, leaving Alan at a complete loss for words.

0

The voyage back to Pandora was a long and arduous one. All of the crew of both the _Serenity_ and the _Shadow of Darkness_ worked harder than they ever had before. None moreso than Alan, who very rarely slept. He hardly ate anything at mealtimes, and many of the scarce free hours he had were spent reading Kiryuu's notes. It was rare that the crew saw him these days, and when they did they seemed slightly unnerved by him, as if someone had lit a fire behind his eyes which threatened to shoot out at the next person who crossed him.

The work was hard, but Telek's training sessions steadily became longer and more brutal. He was trained not just in combat, but in stealth, subterfuge and anticipating his opponent's moves. Alan had encountered few things as vicious as the training of a Sangheili warrior, but he was determined not to show any signs of weakness. He knew that he could not let Telek win. Telek, meanwhile, didn't make any indication of what he thought of Alan's progress, apparently preferring to keep Alan on tenterhooks.

At last, the voyage was over. Alan and the _Serenity_ crew were summoned up to the bridge once again. Upon getting there, they were shocked to find that the atmosphere on the bridge was tense and apprehensive. Hardly anyone seemed to dare to breath. Standing beside Telek's command chair, they saw the planet before them on a monitor, and they were shocked by what they saw.

The blue gas giant of Polyphemus, in the Alpha Centauri system, loomed ahead of them. Pandora was the small moon orbiting the planet. However, instead of the lush, green-and-blue, Earth-like planet that Alan remembered, what he was seeing now was a brown orb which seemed to consist of nothing but rock. Every trace of greenery and water was gone, replaced by this sickly-looking colour. Dark clouds could be seen, apparently coating the planet in its death shroud.

"This can't be right..." Alistair breathed. "This can't be Pandora!"

"I'm afraid it is," said Bishop, his voice very grave. "These are the exact coordinates. That really is Pandora."

Telek frowned, crossing his arms when he saw that planet. He shook his head and then turned to Alan and his crew.

"I have seen something like this before," he began in a deep, dark tone. "Nearly 30 years ago, when I was still with the Covenant—I was ordered among the rest of the fleet to Harvest. It was the first time we had ever encountered humans. By the order of the Prophets, we were expected to destroy you. And that is what we set out to do. Harvest was the first planet we glassed. But we found information there, Forerunner structures that we could not destroy just yet. So, we only nuked part of the planet, leaving it a cold, icy, almost dead ball of glass but sparing the areas we needed to search in."

He lowered the command chair and walked to the edge of the command platform, once more focusing his eyes on the image of the transformed Pandora.

"We found it," he said. "I ordered Cujo and Shri to lead a task force of Sangheili and Unggoy down to the surface to follow a group of humans into the Forerunner structure. We observed them and found out that the humans could manipulate Forerunner technology. The room they were in was a map room. Cujo recorded the information and then sent it to me. When it was done, I ordered Cujo to open fire while I handed the information over to the current Arbiter at the time—a very evil and maddened Sanghieli named Ripa 'Moramee and he transferred that information to the Prophet of Regret." Telek turned back around to Alan. "The map showed us the location of a Forerunner Shield Installation—a Dyson Sphere the same size as a planet."

He moved swiftly over to the map table and pulled up the Luminary program. An image of the moon appeared on the map table. Immediately the program began to light up with all sorts of Forerunner glyphs, which circled the planet. Telek sighed and shook his head in dismay.

"The Shield Installation was infested with Flood," he said. "Everywhere—Flood. The whole planet was alive with them. It was a horrible sight." Telek motioned for Alan and his crew to come over to the map table. "You see these glyphs?"

"Yes," said Alan.

"Do you know what they mean?" Telek asked.

"Not a clue," said Alan.

"They mean that on that moon is Forerunner technology. Even more so, that moon is not a moon. The Forerunners were world builders. That moon is a Shield Installation and like the one I visited at the beginning of the war, it's covered in Flood."

"But it wasn't like that before!" Alan said. "I know what Pandora looked like. I was there, it didn't look like that."

"I honestly don't know what to tell you," said Telek. "But Pandora is no more. If we have a chance, we might be able to find Kiryuu—but I am going to glass that moon to cinders." He walked back to his command chair and pressed a button. "Cujo, Mitsu, Tulsa, Wago, Tom, I want you all to remain in your ships. Do not send anyone down. The less chances we have of Flood infecting our numbers and then taking one of our ships—the better."

"_Right," _said Cujo._ "What are you going to do?"_

"I will take Alan and we will head on down to the surface," said Telek. "Erin, how's John?"

"_I'm still working hard to revive him," _he said. _"But I almost have it."_

"If he wakes up and we're down on the surface," began Telek. "No doubt he would want to join the fight. Let him. Trust me, you don't want to get in his way."

"_No worries," _said Erin.

"Alan, I want your crew and the ship to remain on board," Telek continued. "I don't want them infected. I'm still pretty unappetizing to the Flood, the Chief is also unappetizing because of his cybernetics. But again, you want to be down there as well to look for Kiryuu. I don't know if Godzilla is immune to the Flood."

"I guess now's as good a time as any to find out," said Alan. "I don't think anything in the _Serenity_'s cargo bay can help here; something tells me that no-one was expecting us to be facing an army of Flood. I'll just have to risk it; I'm not letting you go down there on your own."

Alan then turned to address the _Serenity_ crew. "You heard what he said. I want you and the ship to stay up here. If things go awry, do not, I repeat do not attempt to go down there to get us. Just let the fleet smash this planet to pieces and get out of there."

"But Captain!" Alistair protested, pointing at the display showing the corrupted Pandora. "Have you seen what's happened? Going down there is suicide!" He clamped a talon firmly on Alan's shoulder. "We started this thing together and that's how we're gonna end it! We're not letting you go down there on your tod!"

"You've got to!" Alan barked. "I'd never forgive myself if any of you or the _Serenity_ were taken by the Flood! You know I'm right about this! Now do as I say!"

There was an awkward silence, as Alistair still had a determined gleam in his eye. However, a few seconds later he backed down, giving a weary sigh.

"Aye-aye, sir," the gargoyle said in a low, heavy tone.

To avoid looking at the worried expressions on the faces of his crew, Alan turned back to Telek.

"Let's go," he said.

"We'll take a Phantom down," said Telek. "Cujo, in two hours, glass the moon, whether or not we've returned to my ship with or without Kiryuu."

"_Are you serious?" _asked Cujo.

"Yes," said Telek. "It's better that we get fried along with the whole planet than have any Flood make it on board any of my ships. I don't want this infestation to spread."

"_Alright," _said Cujo. _"Just come back safely."_

"No promises," said Telek. "Alan, that moon is covered in Flood spores. That's why the atmosphere is brown like that. We'll need protective gear so we can breathe."

He led Alan down to the launching bay where Tram and his Phantom were waiting for them. They entered the Phantom and strapped themselves in. Telek sighed, crossing his arms as the Phantom took off.

"With the moon in its state," he said. "No doubt there's a Gravemind down there. The Flood managed to accumulate enough biomass to create a new larval King Ghidorah. Be on your guard."

Alan nodded, trying to steady his breathing. Now that he was actually heading down to what remained of Pandora his nerves were threatening to attack him again. The training that he had endured, however, served him well, and he was able to steady himself as the Phantom approached the blasted atmosphere.

The black clouds had led Alan to assume that there were now violent storms across the planet, but as the Phantom sank through the murky clouds everything was eerily still. There was no wind to speak of, and as the Phantom emerged from the other end of the clouds the ground below looked coarse and cracked, completely dead. The ship came to a steady halt, hovering a few inches over the ground. Alan and Telek, now equipped with respirators, jumped out and landed on the hard ground below. Both instantly drew their weapons and peered around them cautiously as the Phantom rose back into the sky.

Tram had dropped them off at the edge of a cliff overlooking a vast valley, and from here Alan could now see the full extent of the damage. There was not a single tree, patch of grass, water or any animals present anymore, when Alan remembered there being trees as tall as skyscrapers and strange exotic plants. With a start, he realised that he had seen this landscape before, for this was close to the site where existed the Tree of Souls, an important religious site to the native Na'vi. Now the area had no life. Strange mounds grew out of the ground every few hundred feet, resembling giant termite mounds. Above them, the sun's rays cast a sickly yellow glow when it wasn't being blocked by the choking spore-clouds.

"So this is what it looks like when King Ghidorah wins..." snarled Alan, his free hand clenched tightly into a fist.

"Looks bad, don't it?" Telek asked. "But it's not completely dead. You're just standing on the surface of a Dyson Sphere. Like the one Regret went to 30 years ago, this is a world within a world. Below the surface is probably a thriving paradise complete with a miniature sun. I just want to know how the Flood managed to get here. Why did the Forerunners put Flood on a Shield Installation designed to save species from the parasite?"

Flood Biomass littered the barren ground. Areas where there was once fresh water, milky slime filled the holes instead. Telek swallowed his disgust. He recalled what High Charity looked like when Gravemind took over. Glancing around, he noticed that several tentacles grew over the rocks. He pointed at the tentacles, tapping on Alan's shoulder.

"Those tentacles there," he said. "Careful not to step on them."

He growled, raising a hand to his head when he heard the whispers coming from just about everywhere.

_Welcome…make yourself comfortable…_

Telek gasped, feeling a headache slowly growing, pounding against his sinus.

"He knows we're here," he said.

"You alright?" Alan asked, noticing Telek's discomfort.

"Yeah," Telek replied, taking in a deep breath. "I'm fine. It's just a headache."

Alan wasn't convinced, but didn't say anything. If King Ghidorah really did know that they were on Pandora, then he knew that they would have to move fast. He tried to sense Kiryuu's position through the blood-bond, but it was not something he had ever been able to do by himself. The only thing he could think to do was to try and get their bearings first. He motioned for Telek to follow him, and they set off along the side of the ravine, taking great care not to step on the tentacles which crawled everywhere like live serpents.

The ground itself seemed to protest as they climbed slowly down the canyon wall, to a site which Alan hoped to still be familiar to him. Finding their way onto the floor of the canyon, the rocks overhead seemed to form the shapes of gothic archways. Alan was sure that this was the way to the Tree of Souls; while he didn't expect to find answers there, he was sure that if any survivors were to be found, they would almost certainly be there. Deep in his gut, however, he was sure that nothing could have survived this invasion.

Soon the canyon opened out into a clearing; part underground and part open-air. However, instead of the softly-glowing, Weeping Willow-like Tree of Souls that used to stand here, what stood in its place looked like a writhing mass of sickly green tentacles, thrashing about as if the whole mass was desperate to escape the ground. The roots snaked everywhere, on the floor and even up the rock walls, and seemed to quiver as if now capable of movement themselves, and Alan was sure that stepping on them would be a bad idea. Every now and then a dark substance spewed out of the top, launching up into the sky, and with a sickening jolt Alan realised that it was spitting out Flood spores. Beside him, Telek grunted and held a hand up to his head.

"We shouldn't be here," the Sangheili groaned.

"When you're right, you're right," replied Alan. However, even as he turned to leave the canyon, the ground started to shake under their feet, and the thrashings of the Flood Tree became more violent. Both Alan and Telek sprinted back the way they had come, but when they were almost at the entrance something jumped down from the rocks above and collided with Alan.

Tumbling over, locked in a deadly embrace, Alan now saw what the Flood had done to the Na'vi. The formerly lithe, athletic forms of the seven-feet tall Na'vi were now bulbous and mangled, their features grossly distorted. The lumpy, green-brown skin still retained traces of its former blue pigment, and their short tails had become longer with vicious-looking barbs on the end. Most disturbing of all was that the head now seemed to consist of nothing but tentacles. Alan remembered that the Na'vi had small tentacles hidden in their hair-braids, and it seemed the Flood had hideously magnified them. The creature bellowed at Alan with the same horrible death-rattle of any Flood.

Frantically, Alan punched the Combat Form twice in the head. The second time there was a sickening crunch as the brittle skin and bone gave way, and the creature howled its misery. Alan used the distraction to throw it off and quickly grabbed his Technomantic whip. He lashed viciously with the line of plasma, slicing the Flood to ribbons. A short distance away another Combat Form had tried to ambush Telek, only to find itself cleaved neatly in two by his energy sword.

The two made a mad dash back to the entrance of the sacred site, and upon emerging back into the sickly daylight they found more Combat Forms waiting for them. Some of them were armed with large longbows and spear-like arrows, apparently remembering their use from their former life.

"And I thought the Na'vi couldn't get any less friendly," snarled Alan.

"You think?" Telek asked. He pulled out the shotgun and fired on a leaping Combat Form, sending green pieces falling to the ground. He sliced with his sword arm when he saw another Combat Form rush him from behind. "Destroy the fallen bodies. Keep the Infection Forms from reanimating them."

"_There you are!" _echoed King Ghidorah's voice from his various Flood Combat Forms. _"Coffins who walk. Come to us so that we may talk."_

"Forgot to tell you, he speaks through the Flood," said Telek. "I'm not interested in talking to you."

"_You are," _they chimed. _"You want to know what happened. You have questions. I have answers."_

Telek kept his gun pointed at the Combat Forms.

"_Immune or not,"_ said King Ghidorah through the Flood. _"It does not matter. You are two, we are many. Eventually, you will run out of ammunition. Your blade's battery will run down. You will fail."_

Telek lowered his weapons when he saw just how many Combat Forms were lined up. They were numerous. He could not even begin to count them. Each one was armed with poisoned-tipped bows and arrows.

"What have you done to Kiryuu, Gravemind?" Telek asked. "I want to see him."

"_Do you now?"_ There was amusement in King Ghidorah's voice. _"I should not disappoint. But you must earn his audience."_

"You sick son of a bitch!" Alan bellowed. "We want to see Kiryuu, now!"

"Let him go," said Telek.

"_The box unlatched, the horror released," _said King Ghidorah._ "Not a single one of you will mourn for the many deceased. This world you hated and shunned because of the one who decided to betray. Now, because of him, I have begun my feast."_

"What the hell are you talking about?" Telek asked.

"_Alan knows," _said King Ghidorah. _"He and his crew wanted to end his woes. He needed to escape, and nearly destroyed the Tree of Souls. You're right, Alan, Kiryuu would have done the same thing. In fact, he did. Kiryuu found out about Jake Sully's betrayal." _One of the Flood Combat Forms waved a tentacle around, pointing the bleak scenery about them. _"This was all his idea. Teach Jake Sully a lesson. Kiryuu made him see the truth about the world he defended and the people he betrayed. Now, a sacrifice both has made."_

"You're wrong!" Alan shouted. "Not even that wanker Jake Sully deserved any of this! The bastard wasn't worth it, and Kiryuu would know that!"

"_Is that so?"_ King Ghidorah replied, releasing a low chuckle. _"Answer me honestly. If Jake Sully had not called off his warriors, would the Tree of Souls have remained standing?"_

Alan's said nothing. He had been pushed to the limits of his patience that day, and it was true that he would have burned the tree down if it meant the survival of his crew. He looked away, not wanting to admit that King Ghidorah was right. Around him, the Hydra's voice sounded highly amused.

"_I know you better than you know yourself,"_ said King Ghidorah. _"Your grandfather's ruthlessness lives on in you, no matter how hard you try to hide it. You should have just let your mutations take you, become what you truly are, Minya."_

At this, Alan turned back to face one of the Combat Forms, his teeth bared and releasing a low guttural snarl.

"You don't get to call me that," he snarled. "Only she did..."

"_Well now..."_ said King Ghidorah. _"It would appear that I touched a sensitive spot. Regardless, even if you strike us all down now, it matters not. You will join us in our song soon enough."_

It was then that a new sound reached Alan's ears; the familiar whine of the engines of a Phantom dropship. Streams of plasma fire shot out from the sky above them, fired with such precision that Alan and Telek did not need to move to avoid the white-hot blasts. The struck Flood were disintegrated, and as Alan looked up he saw the outline of the Phantom suddenly roaring low overhead. It quickly left the area, but something jumped out of the ship and fell towards the ground, landing with a force that would have broken the bones of most men.

Alan barely had time to register who the figure was before the Combat Forms were upon them. They attacked from all sides, but Alan's training served him well. Almost as if instinct was guiding his body, he moved swiftly from creature to creature, striking each down with the whip as he moved. Around him the sounds of gunfire were heard, coming thick and fast, and he had to duck several times as bullets whizzed past him, destroying Infection Forms that had tried to sneak up on him. In the heat of the battle, Alan felt as if his body was not his own, as if his mind had been transplanted into a Sangheili body.

At last, the wave of Flood was destroyed. A lone Infection Form tried to revive one of the fallen drones, but it was crushed under a large boot belonging to the new arrival. Now that the fight was over, Alan recognised their saviour to be the Master Chief John-117 himself. He was dressed head-to-foot in the same green Spartan armour that Alan had seen him wearing inside the cryo-tank, his face helmeted and concealed by a golden visor. He was carrying what looked like a small country's worth of weaponry, including an assault rifle, two submachine guns, a shotgun and even a large missile launcher. He peered at Alan for a moment before turning to face Telek, who was struggling to remove himself from a pile of decimated Flood bodies.

"Can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I, Admiral?" asked the Chief in an amused tone, his voice gravelly and giving the clear impression of a seasoned soldier.

"More like it's about time you woke from your nap, Master Chief," said Telek as he got up from the ground. He dusted himself off. "Good to have you on the playing ground though."

"Yes, Admiral," he said. "What's going on?"

"I'll keep it brief," said Telek. "We're on a Flood infected planet called Pandora and Kiryuu is being held prisoner here. Priority one: Find Kiryuu. Failure is not an option."

"Yes, sir," the Spartan saluted.

"Alright, let's lock and load!" Telek said, "We've got Flood to burn. Alan, it's possible that King Ghidorah's got some sort of hold on Kiryuu. That's probably why he did a lot of the things he did here."

"You won't hear any argument from me on that," replied Alan. "Kiryuu may be a headcase, but I refuse to believe he'd do something like this of his own accord."

Telek looked at the Chief: "Chief, this is Alan Tyler, Alan Tyler—Master Chief John-117. And for now that's all you two need to know about each other."

The three continued to trudge on through the Flood biomass-filled landscape of what was the valley where the Tree of Souls used to be.

"I suppose you saw the condition of Cortana," said Telek to the Chief.

"I did," John replied.

"Kiryuu may be the only being who can be of any help to her now," said Telek. "Not even Swifty could repair her. I left her on board the ship so she would not have to be too stressed out over fighting Flood. It's better she rests right now."

"Yes, sir," he said.

Telek paused when he heard the voice of King Ghidorah chuckle.

"_The one of machine and nerve is with you," _he said. _"Do you think he can help you find Kiryuu?"_

"He can do a lot more than that," said Telek.

"_I am pleased that he is here."_

Telek paused and lowered his gun. He could not believe what was said. Gravemind wanted all of them here.

"That's it," he said, looking back at Alan. "He wants us all here. He's planning something. Me, the Chief, you…"

"I can see why," Alan nodded. "We've all done our part to fight King Ghidorah in the past. I wouldn't put it past him to want to gather us all up for something he's cooked up." He looked out across the blasted plains, looking thoughtful.

"It's what he wants to do that I can't figure out," he said. "It can't be as simple as just killing us or turning us into drones; if it were, he's got this whole planet at his command to do us in. Come to think of it, we haven't seen nearly as many Flood as I thought we would. Where'd they all go?" He turned back to the others, looking at Telek in-particular. "I don't think we'll find any answers on the surface. We should try to get into that installation you mentioned. Maybe there's something in the topographical data that can give us a clue on how to get in."

He looked to his commlink and tried to open a channel, but received nothing but static.

"Shit..." he muttered. "Something's jamming my transmissions." He looked up at the dark sky overhead. "Must be something to do with these spore-clouds. Bishop had the data from the last time we were here." He looked back to John. "Please tell me he thought to give you a local copy before you came down here."

"All shield installations are generally the same," said Telek, stepping forward before John could reply. He held up a device that began to display a holographic map in cyan and purple. The map was of the whole of Pandora including detailing of its hollow interior and artificial sun. Dotted around the surface of the moon were red dots. "Forerunners were always making sure that the layout of each of their constructions was similar. About 5 clicks west are an exposed bunker and an elevator. That should start leading us down towards the inner parts of the Shield World—the inner surface of the Dyson Sphere itself. If this place is much like the Flood-controlled Shield World discovered 30 years ago, the interior shouldn't be infected. Despite the air being toxic to us here, the Dyson Sphere itself should have oxygen for us to breathe in. It may be hazardous for the previous indigenous creatures to live in, but it will be safe for us."

"Great," said Alan.

"No time like the present," said Telek. "Let's go."

As they continued their trek, Telek could sense that Alan was keeping an eye on him. Telek turned away from him. It was obvious and it even worried him. King Ghidorah was everywhere. Though Kiryuu did say King Ghidorah could not control someone after he did once before, Telek could not trust that. He knew that there was a possibility that he was going to succumb just like Kiryuu.


	10. Resurrection

**Resurrection**

The trio carefully made their way through the blasted landscape. The ground beneath them seemed to move, as if it was aware of their unwelcome presence. What Alan found so strange however was the notable absence of Flood that they encountered. Several stragglers did try to intercept them, but for the most part their trek went without any major incident.

"Long as they stay away, I don't give a rat's ass," Telek had drawled when Alan had pointed out their good fortune.

Eventually they found what Telek was looking for. Buried amidst the roots of a long-dead tree was a small doorway. Alan now recognised the architecture as being that of the Forerunners.

"That tree must have grown on top of it," said Alan. "That might be why it didn't show up on the data Bishop retrieved."

"John, you're up," said Telek.

The Chief nodded, and stepped up towards the door. Like all humans he could manipulate Forerunner technology, but not to the same extent as any Technomancer. He waved his hand over what looked like a small control panel, and instantly the door slid open, revealing a small square chamber.

"The plants probably overgrew 'em a long time ago," Telek said, "but there should be holes in the surface of this outer shell for ships to pass through. This is the safe way inside the inner installation when on foot. Of course, this is the easy part. Getting out will probably be where the fun begins."

"One step at a time, Telek," replied Alan. "Let's just find Kiryuu first. We'll worry about getting out once we know what's happened to him."

The trio stepped into the chamber and the doors slid shut. All of a sudden the chamber shuddered, and soon Alan realised that they were actually inside an elevator which was rapidly speeding downwards into the depths of the planet. After a few minutes of silence, he suddenly felt an unpleasant sensation as the chamber seemed to slowly turn on its end, and for one horrible moment he thought that they would end up tumbling around the walls. Instead, his feet remained firmly planted to the floor, and soon he felt as if something was pressing down on his shoulders. He could only assume that the elevator was now suddenly riding upwards.

"That's to make sure we're not standing on our heads when we hit the other end," said Telek.

After a few more minutes the elevator stopped, and the doors slid open. Alan hadn't known what to expect from the idea of there being a world within a world, but as he stepped out with Telek and John and saw the Shield Installation for the first time, his mouth fell open. They had arrived in what looked like a small settlement with various buildings. The largest of these was right in front of them, a huge pyramid-like structure. The settlement was located before a vast underground lake, and looking around him Alan saw that there was an entire world surrounding him. The installation was built on the insides of the planet, with lakes and landmasses visible all around and above him. It was as if someone had turned the Earth inside-out. The strangest sight of all was that, in the centre of the immense cavity, was a small sun, burning brightly and illuminating every part of the installation. Alan could scarcely believe his eyes.

Telek gave a chuckle: "Forerunners were called world builders. Sorta fits the description, don't it?"

He took a scan of the area around him and then grinned through his respirator. Telek pulled on the respirator and took it off his face.

"What are you doing?" Alan cried.

"Taking a deep breath," Telek replied. He then did just that. "Yep, just like what I suspected. Since the Forerunners breathed oxygen-nitrogen rich atmospheres like us, they built their structures to do the same. It's possible that the interior was more than a Shield Installation, it was some sort of observatory. The Forerunners would observe the life forms on the surface above from here. Of course why stay in stuffy old space stations when you can hollow out an entire moon and build a whole world inside of it? Take off your mask, Alan, it's okay."

Alan took off his mask and took in a breath. The air was not toxic at all.

"From what I understand," Telek began. "Dotted about the installation are slipspace chambers—actual tubes like cryo-tubes that put a person into a slipspace field. There, the person would remain in suspended animation out of phase with our reality and out of the reach of the Halo Array pulse. That's how they saved the species in the galaxy—well one way. The Ark was another. They probably saved the Na'vi this way, which explains their presence here.

"As for the Flood…the Forerunners from what my archival databanks told me would take certain members of species prone to Flood infection and study them as a possible means of creating a vaccine and then an immunity to the Flood. And that might explain why both the Na'vi and the Flood are here. The Na'vi were science experiments for the Forerunners. Only, the Forerunners didn't finish what they started. But hell, what do I know…"

Telek lifted his head up and looked around at the inner surface of the massive installation.

"The last one I visited had Forerunner battle cruisers hidden inside of it," he said. "Let's hope to God that this one doesn't. They could be a means for the Flood to escape." He looked back at Alan. "King Ghidorah is here. I can feel his creepy ass all around me. He's plannin' something—setting a stage for us."

"That's King Ghidorah for you," said Alan. "He's a Prima Donna."

Telek looked at John : "Chief, conserve your ammo as best as you can. We're deep inside this thing and we have little contact outside. We may end up making crude weapons soon if we're not too careful."

"Understood," said John.

"Same goes for you," said Telek to Alan.

"I think King Ghidorah wants us alive for what he wants," said Alan. "That's all I know. Whatever Flood he'll throw at us is just his way of playing with his catch."

"Can never be too careful, kid," said Telek. "Haven't I taught you anything?"

Alan said nothing, but turned away to look at the pyramid structure. A large ramp led up to the lowest walkway.

"We got lucky," Telek rumbled. "These are built a lot like the Halos. That should be the central control building right in front of us. It's as good a place as any to begin lookin'".

The trio made their way up the large ramp and began to work their way up the outside of the pyramid. It was a long, tedious trek along identical long balconies and up ramps. Alan had noticed very repetitive architecture in the Forerunner buildings he had visited; he couldn't help but feel that they were built this way so intruders would get bored and leave.

When they were almost at the control room itself, Alan suddenly started to feel very sick. His head seemed to spin, his vision became blurred and he found it hard to stay upright. He gritted his teeth and snarled as a migraine overcame him, and he collapsed to one knee. He didn't see or hear what Telek or the Master Chief were doing, as he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

When Alan's eyes opened a second later, a different scene was now set before his eyes. He was now standing in what he assumed was the control room; a cavernous space with one large console and a series of holographic displays showing the decay on the surface. He now felt a mad, ecstatic glee filling every part of his body. Things could not have gone better; the Monitor Eywa was dead, and his Flood had swept across the world, consuming all the flesh and souls on the planet in mere hours. His plan was proceeding smoothly; the access hatches would be opening at any second, his Flood would make their way down keeping them safe from the sterilisation efforts of the fleet in orbit, and nothing was left now to fight them. His three guests would have front-row seats to his moment of triumph, and he knew that none of their comrades would dare risk a rescue attempt. No doubt the fleet had been dissuaded from such a thing for fear of spreading the Flood throughout the galaxy. A wicked grin crossed his snout at the thought.

Now there was only one loose end left to tie. He looked down at a figure that had been pinned under his metallic foot until now. As it turned out, the figure was the Na'vi Avatar Jake Sully. Rather than the proud Omaticaya chieftain that Alan remembered from mere months ago, Jake now looked a broken wreck of a man; clearly he had been forced to watch as this world and everything on it that he loved so much had been destroyed. Strangely, he did not feel even the slightest bit guilty as he hauled Jake up, holding him by the throat inches off the floor.

"_I am a monument to all your sins,"_ he said, in a deep, unholy voice that was quite unlike his own. _"I shall be your Last Shadow as well. It is in darkness your life finally ends, and to Kiryuu will you say 'farewell'."_

Alan then pierced the Na'vi with a bio-syntech blade which had grown out of his hand. Jake's eyes widened in shock as he felt the blade go straight through him and out of his back, and he cried out in agony as Alan twisted the blade, scrambling his intestines. Other blades were now creeping up around Jake, slicing every part of him they could reach. They flayed his skin, they disembowelled him, and finally, just to add insult to injury, they decapitated him. The thrill of murder coursing through his veins, Alan let the body slide off his blade onto the floor.

It was then that a new feeling overtook him, as if he had come out of a trance. He looked down at the bio-syntech tentacles dripping with blood, and saw the blood that had splashed onto his silver armour. Instead of the exhileration he had felt seconds ago, now he felt appalled, terrified, his mind numbed by the atrocity.

"God, what have I done?" he gasped, his voice no longer having the sinister edge to it but still not like his own. He looked from Jake's body back to the screens, his breath becoming more panicked. He now saw the state of the Flood-covered Pandora as if seeing it for the first time, and his eyes widened with terror.

"No..." he breathed. "What have I done?"

"_What you meant to do,"_ the cold voice suddenly said, this time coming from right inside his head. _"What we meant to do. This was your promise to me."_

"I didn't promise this!" said Alan, horrified. "I only wanted to show Jake what this world really is! I showed him that!"

"_You would not have been able to defeat the Monitor without my help."_

"I didn't want this!"

"_You will learn your place!"_

Suddenly Alan bellowed in pain, holding his claws up to his head as a horrible sensation flowed through him, as if the very essence of his soul was being ripped right out of him. His yell became a trumpet-like roar, and his view of the control room was fading away, replaced by the exterior of the pyramid. As he yelled in pain, he became aware of someone yelling at him and shaking him.

"Hey, kid! What the hell just happened? Snap outta it!"

With a start, Alan was half-dragged to his feet from his knees. He let out an audible gasp as he held a claw up to his forehead. He felt himself shivering, horrified by what he had just witnessed, and what he was sure it meant.

"The blood-bond suddenly went haywire," he gasped. "That hasn't happened for a long time..."

"What the hell happened?" Telek demanded. Before Alan could reply, however, there was a deep groaning noise coming from all around them. Looking out from the edge of the walkway, Telek saw several large holes opening in the landmasses, large enough for frigates to fit through. With a start, he realised what was happening, and turned back to the others.

"Actually, forget it," he said to Alan. "Those holes are the access points for ships back on the surface. No wonder we didn't see many Flood on the surface; they must have been gatherin' at the doors! Get your mask back on to be safe, and we've got to get to the control room! Move it!"

Alan hastily clamped his breathing mask back on his face and dashed after Telek and John all the way up the winding ramps. At last they reached the large door of the control room, which slid open to allow them inside. Alan took a moment to look behind him across the vista, seeing the large access holes. The now-unmistakeable smell of the Flood filled his nostrils, and he could hear their horrible gurgling cries in the distance. He could not even begin to guess how many Flood were on their way, and it took Alan every ounce of resolve he had to not panic at the thought.

Dashing into the cavernous control room, Alan saw warning lights flashing on all the holographic displays, all showing what the trio had already guessed; that the Flood were now streaming down into the facility from the surface. A large map showed their progress; they were already almost halfway down the shafts, climbing down at a phenomenal rate. The trio ran down the large walkway that led to the central control console, where two figures could now be seen.

"John!" shouted Telek. "Close the hatches!"

"Yes, sir," John replied, running up to the control console and immediately began manipulating the controls.

Alan followed him, and as he got a good look at the first figure, he felt a violent urge to be sick. As he had expected to see, he saw the remains of the Omaticya chieftain, Jake Sully, dismembered and mutilated almost beyond recognition. While Alan had disliked Jake enormously, he knew that he would never have wished such a fate on the Avatar.

Averting his eyes away from the grisly sight, Alan then saw the figure that he had been searching for over the past five months. The bio-mechanical dinosaur known as Kiryuu Knight was slumped against the console, curled in a foetal position, his emerald-green dreadlocks lank and his silver armour covered in blood. His eyes were closed tight, tears were streaming down his face, and he seemed to be having difficulty breathing. As he did when Alan had seen him in the dream prison, he looked thoroughly broken.

"Kiryuu!" Alan shouted, running up to him.

"No..." Kiryuu groaned, not opening his eyes. "Leave me be... Please let me die."

Alan was worried about Kiryuu's tone. He sounded utterly defeated, as if he had lost all will to live. From what he had seen in the vision, it seemed safe for Alan to assume that he blamed himself for everything that had happened here, and now wanted it all to be over. Alan kneeled next to him, and began to try to haul Kiryuu to his feet.

"Sorry, granddad," he said resolutely. "It's not that easy." He wasn't sure if Kiryuu had heard him, but as Kiryuu got to his feet he slumped over, apparently having lost consciousness. He was very heavy, and Alan found it hard to stay upright. Telek ran over to place Kiryuu's other arm over his soldier and help Alan to support the mecha. Kiryuu's helmet had been place on the console; Alan picked it up and clamped it over Kiryuu's face, to be on the safe side.

Beside them, John had been trying to close the hatches, but now beat his fists against the console in frustration.

"The controls are locked," he snarled.

"Fuck it," snarled Telek. "We'll have to get to the surface then as quickly as we can. Let's move!"

Struggling to carry the unconscious Kiryuu between them, Alan, Telek and the Chief ran back outside. Behind them the console's warning lights flashed with even greater urgency and sirens sounded all through the facility; the Flood had made it inside.

Standing out on the large balcony in front of the door, the trio saw the Flood emerging from the hatches. Millions of Infection forms were spreading out and away from the holes, consuming everything in their path. Within seconds they were spreading away from the holes, gradually turning the land into the same sickly colour as the surface above, while the water started to become a thick sludge. Alan was alarmed at just how quickly the Flood were able to take over every scrap of life, and it dawned on him that the fleet may only have been too late by mere minutes. As well as the Infection forms, Alan could see thousands of Combat forms, all of them making their way towards the pyramid. Some of them, Alan soon saw, were riding on infected direhorses and mountain banshees. Even the wildlife had not been safe from the Flood's touch. With them being encumbered by Kiryuu, he was sure that they could not possibly reach the elevator before the Flood caught up to them. He looked desperately to the others, but it seemed that they had reached the same conclusion he had. Telek used a free hand to draw one of his shotguns; Alan did the same for his caster gun. All three of them had reached a silent agreement to go down fighting.

Just then, above the cacophony caused by the guttural screams of the Flood, a new sound reached Alan's ears. The high-pitched roar of a jet engine could be heard, gradually getting louder and louder. While John kept his rifle aimed squarely at the approaching Flood, Alan and Telek looked around trying to identify the source of the noise. Their question was soon to be answered, for streaking towards them was none other than the _Serenity_, plasma cannons blazing in an attempt to take down as many of the Flood as possible. As it came to a halt, hovering slightly above the balcony, the cargo ramp began to lower.

"The hell?" Telek bellowed, with mingled surprise and anger. Alan too felt his brain go numb with utter disbelief. He could not believe his crew was doing something so reckless. However, their present situation was a very bad time to be questioning his ship's presence, as he and Telek dragged Kiryuu towards the awaiting cargo ramp. The howls of the Flood were getting closer and closer.

Vicious winds whipped around them from the jets as Telek scrambled onto the ramp, dragging Kiryuu into the airlock while Alan pushed. Behind him, Alan heard shots ring out, as John shot down the first of the Combat Forms that approached. It was clear that he would never be able to fight off so many at once, and soon he had to retreat onto the _Serenity_ as well. As Alan made to follow them, however, the ship suddenly lurched upwards in an effort to keep the marauding Flood away from it, and Alan had to hang on to the edge of the cargo ramp for dear life. Some of the Flood tried to jump straight up at Alan and the ship, but the plasma cannon under the front of the ship cut them down, the white-hot plasma fire missing Alan by inches. Telek moved forward and dragged Alan into the airlock; he got a brief glimpse of the Flood swarming inside the control centre as the cargo ramp was raised.

The airlock and its occupants were decontaminated, and the ship lurched about as it flew away from the pyramid. As the metal doors into the cargo bay slid open, Alan saw Rachel stood at the controls. She looked extremely nervous to see Alan and Telek (especially as Telek was glaring at her with his teeth bared), and was even more shocked to find Telek and John supporting Kiryuu between them. She ran up to them and Telek handed Kiryuu over to her. Her knees buckled as she tried to support Kiryuu' weight.

"Oh God..." she stammered. "Are you guys alright?"

"Never mind that!" Telek shouted. "Would you mind telling me what the fucking hell y'all are playin' at? I told you to stay on the _Shadow of Darkness_!"

"Telek, this isn't the time!" Alan barked. He then turned to Rachel. "We'll discuss this later! Right now, help John to get Kiryuu to the infirmary!"

Rachel nodded, and with John's help took Kiryuu towards the common room.

"_Captain, get up here!"_ Alistair suddenly shouted through Alan's commlink. Alan and Telek looked at each other. The Sangheili still looked furious, but he said nothing as he followed Alan up to the bridge. The ship still lurched about strangely as if it was caught in a fierce wind. On the bridge, Alan saw Bishop grasping the control stick, fighting to keep the ship under control.

"What the hell's going on?" Alan shouted.

"Something's happened to the artificial gravity in the Installation!" replied Bishop. "The readings are all over the place! The Flood must be tampering with it!"

Looking out through the windows, Alan saw that something was indeed wrong with the gravity. All of the Flood that could not fly were now floating, drifting feebly around the enormous cavity. What was unusual was that they seemed to be drifting in a definite pattern, like how a flock of starlings will dive and weave in the sky. They all seemed to be drifting off the land surfaces, herded towards a point in the space above the toxic-looking grand lake. Alistair and José were at the turret controls, shooting down any stray Flood that got too close in case they latched onto the ship.

"They seem to be merging together," Bishop said vaguely, looking at the monitors on his console. "They're binding together and becoming one enormous bio-mass..."

"Oh, who the fuck cares at this point?" Alan interrupted. "Just get us out of here before we end up joining them!"

"Roger!" Bishop said, steering the ship back towards one of the holes in the ground leading to the surface. By now most of the Flood were inside the installation, but a number of them were still climbing down the shaft. Bishop had to pull off some very tricky barrel rolls in the tight space to prevent the Flood from getting a secure grip; several of them tried to latch themselves onto the hull but were either thrown off or shot down as the _Serenity_ rocketed up the tunnel, flying past the metal and circuitry.

There was no light at the end of the tunnel, for the spore-clouds had blocked all several tense minutes, however, the murky clouds could be barely seen. The hatch leading outside was now beginning to close; it seemed that Telek had not been joking when he had said the Flood could manipulate machinery, and it was now trying to trap them inside.

"Hit the fusion drive!" Alan shouted.

"But in such a confined space..." Bishop began, but he was interrupted by Alan.

"Now, Bishop!" he shouted.

Bishop activated the ship's fusion drive, looking very apprehensive. There was a loud noise like an explosion and the ship lurched forwards at incredible speeds. Bishop had to fight hard to keep the ship flying in a straight line as the tunnel filled with fire behind them. The roaring noise echoing off the walls of the shaft was deafening, but the extra speed enabled the _Serenity_ to escape the tunnel just as the hatch slammed shut behind it.

With a start, Alan saw an immense beam of dazzling light a short distance away on the ship's left. It occurred to Alan that they must have gone past their deadline, as this was a sign that the fleet were now in the process of glassing the surface of the stricken Pandora into ashes. After what Alan had seen, he wasn't so sure if glassing would do any good, but he hoped and prayed that, whatever it was the Flood were doing, they would soon be dead.

Within seconds the _Serenity_ was hurtling through the spore-clouds at tremendous speed, the fire of the fusion drive seeming to incinerate the spores caught in its wake. At last, the roaring of the fire died away as the little ship broke through the atmosphere, and once again entered the vacuum of space. A stunned silence filled the ship, as everyone was too tired and shocked from their ordeal to say much. Even Telek failed to speak, apparently just thankful to be alive.

"No contamination detected, Captain," Bishop eventually said, finally breaking the silence. "We're all clear."

"_Bishop, get down to the infirmary now!"_ Rachel's voice suddenly said urgently over the intercom.

"I'll take over from here, Bish," Alistair said, springing out of the turret control and over to the pilot's console. Bishop nodded, and ran down towards the infirmary. Alistair sat himself down and looked over the console.

"I've got hailing attempts from about six different channels," he said. "Looks like everyone in the fleet wants a word with us."

"They're not the only ones," snarled Alan. "But we'll get to that in a moment. Let them all through."

The first to break through the channels was Shipmaster Cujo 'Mentatal. He looked infuriated at Alistair after receiving word from Shri 'Canthon that the gargoyle had disobeyed orders. The second image that appeared on the screen was Shri 'Canthon herself. Her steely eyes were gleaming in the dim light. Her fingers gripped the command chair's arms tightly.

"_How dare you!"_ Shri bellowed. _"You are already in much trouble with Telek for your actions in Illium, now you disobey him as well?"_

"_Shri,"_ said Cujo. _"At least they are off the surface. And Telek is safe I suspect. Let's just get to the issue at hand now. Alan, do you have Kiryuu?"_

"I do," said Alan.

"_Good,"_ said Cujo. _"Where is the former President? Why isn't he on the bridge with you?"_

"He's in the infirmary," said Alan. "He's unconscious."

"_A construct that's unconscious?"_ asked Shri. _"I know it's Kiryuu, but still? Can he be knocked unconscious?"_

"I don't know," replied Alan, now looking worried. "Bishop and Rachel are tending to him now. I'm going to see if they have answers." He turned to Alistair. "You're going to stay here and explain to Telek why you all disobeyed a direct order."

"Alright, you gonna give me an answer, or am I gonna have to beat it out of you, bird boy?" Telek asked. "When the Flood is involved, prevention of galactic infestation takes priority over individual lives, do you understand? None of my warriors would have disobeyed even if it was me down there alone with the whole lot of them! We're trying hard to keep those things from forming another King Ghidorah, you know!"

"You're bloody welcome!" Alistair spat. "That's what we get for saving all your arses?"

Alan shook his head, frustrated. He hated to sound ungrateful, but the thought of what had happened to Kiryuu kept distracting him from this issue. Not wanting to be involved in this argument, he sighed and began to move towards the door.

"We'll discuss this later," he said. "Right now, I need to know what's wrong with Kiryuu."

As he left the bridge and headed for the infirmary, he heard Telek's raised voice carry down the corridor, berating Alistair for disobeying orders, how stupid he was for risking contamination, that sort of thing. The arguing voices gradually became more muffled as he headed downstairs towards the infirmary, where the first person he saw was John, standing outside the infirmary like a silent sentinel. The Spartan gave a quick formal nod as Alan passed him and stepped into the small infirmary.

Kiryuu was lying still on the bed, while beside him were Bishop and Rachel, with Rachel keeping an anxious eye on the monitor beside the bed. Bishop's eyes were closed, and on closer inspection Alan found that he had removed some of the armour on Kiryuu's arm. Not only that, but he had also peeled back a piece of skin from his forearm, revealing a small datajack. A strand of bio-syntech was now plugged into the jack. The monitor screen was showing lines of computer code which Alan could not even begin to decipher. He wasn't sure if Rachel understood the codes, but he could hear her whispering frantic prayers.

After a minute, Bishop's eyes opened, and the bio-syntech was removed from the datajack. He sighed wearily as he placed the loose skin back into place, before both he and Rachel turned to look at Alan.

"Any luck finding out what's wrong with him?" asked Alan.

"Yes, Captain," Bishop replied. "I was sure that I could never perform a complete diagnosis without directly interfacing with Kiryuu's AI core. It was risky, not least because of the firewalls which he tried to put in place, but I located the source of the problem. A computer worm was attacking his AI subroutines, erasing everything out of existence. I managed to isolate it and destroy it, but it was not an easy battle and a significant amount of damage had already been done."

"Wait a minute," Alan said. "You said there were firewalls in place. Wouldn't the worm have destroyed them?"

"That's what troubles me," replied Bishop, his face very grave. "If my analysis of the worm is correct, then the program was not brought in by outside interference. Everything suggests that it was self-activated. I do not wish to believe it, but Kiryuu may have been trying to use the program to kill himself, like how humans might with a cyanide capsule."

"But why?" Rachel asked, looking appalled. "Why would he do something like that?"

"Guilt," Alan said simply, looking over at the construct's unconscious self. "King Ghidorah finally broke him."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked. She and Alan crossed over into the common area and sat down on two of the comfortable chairs. Bishop stayed in the infirmary to continue monitoring Kiryuu's condition, which seemed to have stabilised, though he was concerned that Kiryuu might make another suicide attempt at any moment.

"The blood-bond kicked in shortly before we found Kiryuu," Alan said heavily. "He... King Ghidorah was controlling him, made him turn Pandora into a Flood zone. He destroyed everything, unable to stop himself. That monster had been torturing him for months before; becoming King Ghidorah's puppet to destroy an entire civilisation must have been the last straw."

There was a minute of awkward silence. Rachel seemed to have been stunned by Alan's words, and Alan was finding it difficult to say much else. Everything he had seen on Pandora had shaken him greatly, though he had not wished to show signs of weakness in front of Telek. He then looked at Rachel and shook his head, frowning at her. Rachel now looked very guilty; she knew what was coming next.

"Why did you go down there to get us?" Alan asked firmly. "You really shouldn't have gone and done it. I did my best to keep you from trying. It was far too dangerous. Any of you, or the _Serenity_, could have been infected; if that had happened, I never would have forgiven myself. Yes, I would have died down there, but at least I would have known that you were all safe."

"Well, it was actually Cortana's idea," Rachel said nervously. "When the two hours were up and the fleet were getting ready to glass Pandora, Cortana grew really worried. Bishop and Alistair were with her at the time, and... Well, Alistair had another outburst about why we should be down there with you, and that sort of thing. Cortana must have thought... Anyway, she set off alarms, making it look like there was a large life-support failure and that the hangar had to be evacuated. She told us to get on the _Serenity_ and get down there. She said 'No-one gets left behind'."

"A habit she picked up from the Admiral," John suddenly chimed in. Alan jumped slightly; he hadn't expected the Spartan to actually be listening. He sighed as he turned to look back at Rachel.

"I can't pretend that I approve," he said. "Don't think I don't appreciate it, but you have to understand why I was trying to keep you up here. I also didn't want to give Telek any reason to hurt you all. I'll tell him it was all my idea, that I'd got a message to you before we made landfall or something."

"Don't you dare, Captain!" Rachel replied sternly. "We all agreed that we wouldn't let you take the fall for this one! Whatever happens, we're sticking by you to the end! We all owe you that much."

All of a sudden Alistair's frantic voice could be heard on Alan's commlink. _"Get up here now, Captain! Something big's on its way!"_

Both Alan and Rachel dashed back up to the bridge, with John following close behind. On the bridge Telek and Alistair seemed to have forgotten their argument in the heat of the new development. Alistair was looking over at the readings on the pilot's console, which had suddenly gone very erratic.

"Something's coming up from below the surface!" he said. "The readings are going absolutely crazy! I can't tell what it is!"

Alan looked very worried. He moved closer to the windows. He could now see what looked like an enormous golden fireball, punching its way through the black spore-clouds and blasting them apart. The fireball soon stopped a short distance away from the _Serenity_, and for a moment it hung in space like a glowing golden orb. Suddenly it exploded, sending waves of fire through space, and Alan now saw that there was a shape in the middle of it, one that had appeared in his nightmares for over five hundred years.

"No..." he breathed, his eyes wide, as the fire cleared and revealed the creature's every detail. The creature was four-legged and enormous, with two long whip-like tails and enormous bat-like wings. It was covered in gleaming golden scales. Three dragon's heads were attached to long necks, with each head adorned with horns and with a mane of golden hair. All three heads reared, and though they made no sound in space Alan heard a loud bell-like call ringing in his mind. Once its roar was silenced, three pairs of blood-red eyes fixed intently on the _Serenity_, with three snouts fixed with identical sneers.

King Ghidorah had risen again.

There was a powerful sound of cackling laughter emanating from the walls of the _Serenity_. Each of King Ghidorah's heads held a triumphant and sinister smile. He had gained all that he needed, the biomass he wanted, the souls he needed in order to form his new body. He was whole, he was real, he was _solid! _The central head's eyes were focused directly upon Alan Tyler and his forked tongue shot out from his mouth.

"_Alan Tyler," _he said. _"Did you think you could stop me? Your grandfather certainly did. Now, he lies in darkness, forever dreaming of the sins he has committed to you, to the Na'vi, and to everyone he has ever met! You should have let him end his misery. Now you only further his torment."_

"Boss, I've got weapons lock..." José muttered.

"That won't help now," Alan replied. He turned back to face King Ghidorah again. He wanted to say something, anything, to show defiance or strength, but the paralysing shock of seeing the demon restored was too great, and the words died in his throat. Once again, the walls of the ship seemed to rattle with King Ghidorah's laughter.

"_I know what you are thinking, Alan Tyler,"_ he said. _"You want to find a way to remove me from existence. You are welcome to try, and you will fail like your grandfather before you. I am the Harbinger of your destiny. Your fate is out of your hands. My games can last for millions of years. I wonder; how long will you be able to play? How many sins will you commit, how many comrades will you sacrifice, all in the name of the so-called Greater Good? Time will tell, Minya... Time will tell."_

All at once Alan saw King Ghidorah begin to curl into a foetal position, folding his wings over himself. As he did so, something that looked like solid stone seemed to form out of the vacuum around him, wrapping around him. Within seconds it became apparent what he was doing; he was creating a meteor shell around himself, of the sort that he used to land on Earth in.

When the shell was complete, a slip-space portal opened up behind him, and within seconds he had vanished through it. The portal closed, sending King Ghidorah to parts unknown.


	11. Life At Best is Bittersweet

**Life At Best is Bittersweet**

Alan was dimly aware of the eyes of everyone on the bridge peering straight at him. He, however, did not return the looks, continuing to peer at the spot where King Ghidorah had disappeared. It seemed that the events of the last minute had rendered everyone too shocked to speak. The silence was only broken by Alistair, who had turned back to the flashing pilot's console.

"Uh, Captain?" he said quietly. "I'm getting hailed by all the ships in the fleet." It was a few moments before Alan pulled himself out of his shock long enough to answer.

"Put them all through on a conference call," he said, before moving to the co-pilot's chair, now looking very drained.

"_If you don't mind, Captain Tyler," _said Shri 'Canthon as her face appeared along with the other Shipmasters. _"I would like to speak to the Supreme Commander."_

Alan turned back to see Telek walking up behind him. His face was a sullen blank stare. He could not bring himself to even say anything about seeing King Ghidorah once more in all of his glory, whole again to once more create havoc across the galaxy.

"_Telek?" _said Shri.

"_Hey, Telek, you alright?" _asked Cujo.

Telek finally let loose a sigh: "Yeah. I'm fine. Now, I want an answer to all of this. Who let them off my ship? Who gave them the okay to come save us?"

"_It was not I, Excellency," _said Shri. _"I swear."_

"Okay," said Telek. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. Apparently Gravemind had finally did what he intended to do. He didn't need us to become Flood chow after all. The Na'vi and all life on that moon was enough to allow him to grow a new body. And somehow, I feel this is all my fault."

"_Skipper, it's not your fault," _said Tom. _"I was the one who ordered Tekn to take the _Shade of Darkness _to the first Halo. I saw those coordinates and ordered him to jump."_

"But I was the one who told Jacob to follow you," said Telek. "And then Jacob had to go and not listen to me and—accidentally released the Flood there. And then this mess as well on Halo 06. And then I agreed to let Kiryuu ride on my ship to the Ark. Because of me letting him on my ship, he's a damned vegetable! Now King Ghidorah's loose and we've got no way to fight him."

"_He's solid," _said Wago. _"We can easily take that down with our plasma cannons."_

"Did you see how fucking big he was?" Telek asked. "The three-headed dragon's the same size as my damned ship! And all he has to do is go to the other Installations and gather more Flood and he can get bigger! Or he could make duplicates of himself. Or hell, I don't know! Even if we blow him up, there's always that chance of him coming back and he's just as dangerous as a ghost as he is as a solid being. If he can take control over Kiryuu gain, he can gain control over me again, he can take the minds of you as well. There is no stopping him! It's hopeless! He's a bad toothache. He always comes back. God, I can't believe I said 'hopeless'."

"_You should return to the ship, Excellency," _said Shri.

"Right," said Telek. He looked back at Alan. "Well, you heard her. Get me back on my ship."

"Right," said Alan. "Yes, sir."

"When we get back on my ship, Captain Tyler," Telek began. "You and I are going to have a long discussion with your crew. I want the full story. And then, we'll have a look at Kiryuu. I'm not giving up on him. As much as I love the idea of him not being able to open that pompous, smartassed mouth of his, I promised myself I'd bring him home whole, not brain-dead."

"Yes, sir," said Alan. "Alistair, take us out."

"Yes, sir," Alistair breathed.

By the time the _Serenity_ landed back in the _Shadow of Darkness_' hangar, the sense of apprehension amongst the crew had grown so thick it could have been cut with a knife. None of the _Serenity_ crew or their passengers spoke as they stepped down the ramp and back into the hangar. Kiryuu was quickly transferred to the medical bay; Alan watched the motionless shell be transported in that direction while he, Telek, John and the _Serenity_ crew made their way back to the bridge.

Upon reaching the main podium on the bridge, they found Shri there to greet them. She looked in an incredibly foul mood; when Alistair approached, she glared at him and began to crack her knuckles. Telek turned to the Serenity crew, his arms folded and throwing a similarly nasty glare at Alistair.

"Alright, big-beak," he said in a very dangerous voice. "You mind tellin' me how you even got outta my ship to go down there uninvited? Tell me and I might not toss yer sorry asses outta the airlock. No promises."

"It was all my idea," Alistair said firmly, in a manner that sounded too rehearsed. "When you missed your deadline and the fleet were preparing to glass the place, José and I talked it over. We decided we couldn't leave you guys down there; we figured if our plan didn't work, we were dead anyway. We persuaded Bishop and Rachel to fake a life-support failure in the hangar, which forced everyone to evacuate it. When the coast was clear, we got in there, got on the _Serenity_ and got down to the planet. We couldn't pick up your locations on the surface, so when we saw those dirty great holes we had a hunch you'd be down there. You know the rest."

Alan noticed that Alistair had omitted one key detail from his account. He had not mentioned Cortana's involvement at all, and since Rachel was making no effort to correct him it seemed that they had all agreed not to drag her into this. Even John seemed to be remaining silent on the issue. Alan was sure that Telek wouldn't buy Alistair's story; the gargoyle's speech sounded too rehearsed, and though he was doing his best to hide it something in his manner suggested that he was not being entirely honest. He decided to step in before Telek tried to ask any awkward questions.

"It doesn't matter how you did it," he said firmly. "Were you paying attention to Telek earlier? The Flood has the ability to control entire ships! What if the _Serenity_ had been infected? It could have gone on to infect the fleet! I can't pretend that I'm not disappointed in you. You all deliberately disobeyed me, and what's worse you put yourselves, the ship and the entire fleet in danger!"

"I know, Captain!" said Alistair defiantly. "We knew the risk we were taking, but we all agreed that we couldn't leave you guys down there! No-one should get left behind! If that gets us a one-way trip into the vacuum of space, at least I'll know we didn't die for nothing!"

Telek sighed and took off his helmet. He gave his bald head a scratch and shook it.

"No one gets left behind..." he said.

"Isn't that why you came for us, Admiral?" Cortana's voice finally spoke up. She was finally rejoined with the Master Chief despite her current condition.

"That's why, darlin'," said Telek. "What...Cortana?"

"I'm sorry, Admiral," she said. "I was the one who got them off the ship. I didn't want you to be left behind either."

"Cortana, you know better than that," Telek said. "You know what the Flood does."

"I know," she said. "But I wanted to return the favour."

"I suppose I can't stay mad," Telek said. "The whole purpose for us gettin' down there was to get Kiryuu. We succeeded in that even if the Gold Demon managed to remake his body. Alright, let's not discuss this any further. I won't toss y'all's sorry hides out the airlock, for now. But don't disobey a direct order from me again, understood?"

"Yes, sir," said Alistair.

"Sí, jefe," said José.

"Good," said Telek. "And that goes double for you, princess."

"Yes, Admiral," said Cortana.

"Okay, now let's focus on reviving Kiryuu, if there is a way to do that," said Telek. "How much did the worm eat away?"

"Plenty," said Bishop. "Much of his programming has been lost. The very part of his personality has been compromised."

"Never thought Kiryuu would be the one to give up," said Telek. "What can we do to save it?"

Alan thought hard. He wasn't sure if Kiryuu had ever had the foresight to keep backups of his own mind anywhere. Perhaps it had never ocurred to him that something like this might happen someday. It was then that something stirred in the back of his memory, something Manda had mentioned over 500 years ago. As he tried to remember, he saw Manda's face before him, glaring accusingly at Kiryuu:

_"How long have you been feeding your sub-matrixes through every grid in the world? Making copies of yourself and seeding them in dark places within the Internet?"_

It was then that a sudden idea hit him.

"I think I know a way," he said to the others. "It's a long shot, but it might be the only chance we've got."

"Glad you've come up with something," Alistair said, "because I'm bloody stumped."

"Back in the old days, Kiryuu was once accused of making copies of himself and scattering them all over the Internet," said Alan. "Kiryuu of course denied it, but I wouldn't put it past him to do something like that. I don't believe he won't have foreseen something like this." He turned to look at Bishop. "Do you reckon such a thing's possible?"

"It's certainly possible," Bishop replied. "Kiryuu was the most advanced AI that has ever existed or will probably ever exist. If he had the inclination to fragment pieces of his own programming and scatter it across a network, he would certainly be capable of doing it. These fragments could be used to rebuild what was lost, though there is no guarantee that he would be exactly how he was."

"Well, I can't think of a better idea," said Alan. "I also think it's fairly safe to assume that we're not going to find this data way out here."

"You mean we have to go back to Earth now?" Rachel asked tentatively. "But what about Lofwyr?"

"My deal with him was that I bring Kiryuu back," Alan replied. "I'm going to do that now. If, for any reason, he objects to us trying to restore Kiryuu, then tough titties." At this, he started to walk off the podium. "Earth's not far from here." With that, before anyone could say a word, he had left the bridge.

"I do like a man with an objective," said Telek with a chuckle. "Alright, make it so. Come on! Twiddle Brothers, plot a course to Earth. Signal the fleet, and advise them to follow. When we get near Earth, tell Lord Hood I got the three most important packages in the world and I'm deliverin' them home."

"Yes, Excellency," said Joli.

"Of course, Excellency," said Rolu.

Telek sat on his command chair and grinned. A spark of hope once more gleamed in his eyes.

Alan eventually found the large med-bay, a space which was clearly equipped for more Sangheili than the current crew quota. Kiryuu was occupying one of the bunks, as still as he had been before. Erin was standing over him, keeping an eye on a monitor close to the bunk. He gave a polite nod to Alan as the mutant walked over and sat down next to the bunk. Alan really wasn't sure what he was doing there; he had never been very good at saying comforting words to people, and even if he was there was no way of telling whether or not Kiryuu would hear him. However, he reasoned that, if Kiryuu was even the least bit aware, then he was thinking about what had happened, about what he had done. Alan leaned closer to him, placing a claw on his shoulder.

"It wasn't you," he said. "I know it wasn't you. I... I've made really big mistakes, especially recently. But – and it took me a trip to outer space to realise this – a man isn't measured by the mistakes he's made. He's measured by what he does about them." He sighed, getting back to his feet, and began to walk away from the bunk. Alan knew that what he had said was a load of babble, and that he might as well have talked to a plate of boiled cabbage.

Yet, more than ever, he was sure that he could help him. He knew that if Kiryuu ever woke up and he was hurting, then he would be there to help him set things right.

0

The journey back to Earth was short and uneventful, and when Alan got a glimpse of the cloudy, blue-green sphere, he realised just how alien it looked to him now. After so long in space he had gotten so used to the idea that he would never see Earth again, and so was rather taken aback by the fact that soon he would be stepping back onto Earth's surface with Kiryuu in tow. He tried to silence a part of him that dreaded this return, for he still wasn't sure how everyone was going to react to the return of someone they all believed to be a thief and kidnapper.

Telek had granted the _Serenity_ crew permission to transport himself, John, Cortana and Kiryuu down to the surface. He had contacted the UNSC High Command on the approach to Earth and their landing arrangements had been taken care of. The other Shipmasters would be making their way down in their own transports. The _Serenity_ had barely left the hangar of the _Shadow of Darkness_, however, when the ship received a transmission.

"Someone's trying to hail us, Captain," Bishop said. "The frequency matches those used by... Saeder-Krupp..."

"Lofwyr," Alan muttered. "I should've guessed he'd be getting in touch at some point. Alright, patch him through."

"_Alan Tyler,"_ Lofwyr's grand voice soon said through the communicator. _"How strange to see you again so relatively quickly, and with friends, no less! I do hope you are not thinking of landing your stolen vessel with your kidnapped crew empty-handed. You know what awaits you if you do."_

"Sling yer shit somewhere else, wiz-wyrm," Telek snarled, leaning over Bishop to speak into the communicator. "The kid's kept to his end of your deal, and with any luck he'll earn bonus credit. We're on a tight schedule, and we've got clearance from Hood himself to land, so get the fuck outta our way if you ain't gonna help!"

"_No need to be rude, Telek 'Heros,"_ replied Lofwyr, in a much quieter tone. _"I assume you'll be making your way to HICOM now. I shall be there myself soon. I will decide what is to be done when I see Kiryuu's body with my own eyes."_ With that, he signed off.

"I had a lovely trip, thank you very much," Alan said sardonically, shaking his head.

"He's gonna put his foot in his mouth once he sees Kiryuu, the Chief, and Cortana," said Telek. "I'm gonna do you a favor, kid. I'm gonna let you off the hook with Lord Hood. Already, that little kidnapping you did after you knocked me out has pretty much spread all over the UNSC by now. They will not be happy." He pulled something from his utility belt and raised it up. It was the heart-shaped blue crystal. "Besides, if Lofwyr gives us any trouble, I've got a surprise for him."

He leaned back and then pointed towards the _Cairo, _one of the orbital defense grids guns. He pressed a button on the _Serenity's _console.

"Terrence," Telek began. "This is Telek."

"_It's good to hear from you again, Telek,"_ said Lord Hood. _"And I see that you have brought back Saeder-Krupp's stolen property."_

"Yeah, we've gotta talk about that," said Telek. "Apparently our esteemed Lofwyr Goldensnout allowed his ship to be stolen."

"_You've got witnesses to this?"_ Hood asked.

"I've got _Serenity's _crew to vouch for it," said Telek. "The reason why he said it was stolen was because he wanted to make sure the guy who he hired to go after Kiryuu would not come back empty-handed."

"_And you have the former President with you?" _Hood asked.

"I have Kiryuu, Master Chief John-117, and Cortana with me," said Telek.

"_You found all of them?" _Terence asked, dumbfounded. _"Are they alright? Are they alive?"_

"Kiryuu is very bad off," said Telek. "I need access to the UNSC deep internal servers to possibly revive him. He tried to kill himself—because of an incident he viewed was his fault. As for John, he's fine. Cortana is equally in as much bad shape as Kiryuu. Her programming is about to give out. Her time within the Halo's control systems has shortened her life. It's suggested that Kiryuu may be able to save her, but Kiryuu needs to get running again too."

"_I see," _said Terrence. _"I'm hopping onto a transport ship. Have the _Serenity _land near the Office of Naval Intelligence in New York City._ _There, I'll notify Kiryuu's maintence crew and they'll be there as well. Don't worry, we'll get both of them up and running. Hopefully Lofwyr will realize how serious this is. And I'll make sure he stays off your new friend's ass. If not, I'll personally shove a rocket launcher up his snout. Rescuing Kiryuu, the Chief, and Cortana is probably the best miracle you have done, Telek."_

"Well, I had help," said Telek. "Don't give me all the credit. Also, I think Lofwyr will be interested in this as well. I have Dorva 'Elus on board Cujo's ship too. I think you remember him."

"_The asshole who betrayed Reach's location to the Covenant," _said Lord Hood. _"I remember. Nice work. We'll make sure Lofwyr stays on his best behaviour. I'll not have my old friend become dragon chow."_

"Right," said Telek with a chuckle. "Telek out. See you there." As soon as Terrence Hood's face was gone from the screen, Telek turned back to Alan. "You owe me big time, kid. I'm not only gonna make sure Lofwyr doesn't turn you into dessert, but I'm keeping the UNSC off your back as well. And don't worry about ONI when we land. I'll handle them too. After pulling this case off, I think Terrence is going to owe me as well. Hopefully it'll be enough to keep me out of prison with the Sangheili."

"Let's hope so," said Alan, his arms folded. "Getting locked up now will be too much after everything we've just been through." He leaned against the railing near the co-pilot's console and gazed out of the window as Africa slid into view. "I appreciate all you've done, Telek. I know I don't deserve it. If you ever need anything, give me a shout and I'll come running. And if this plan to save Kiryuu goes belly-up you can kick my arse from here to Hades."

"And if it doesn't, and the big lug recovers, I'll take you up on that offer," replied Telek. "Even if you are a snot-nosed, reckless blockhead."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Your Excellency," said Alan, smirking. "Bishop, head for New York. We've got work to do."

"Roger," Bishop replied. Minutes later, the ship rattled as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere for the first time in nearly six months. After several minutes the ship descended into a sunset-orange sky, and the tall buildings of the Manhattan skyline could be seen approaching them. Alan was uncomfortably reminded of the hi-tech skyscrapers of Illium, and wondered what would be said and done once they landed. All he knew was that he had to keep his temper; he could not afford any more mistakes.

The ONI building was a large triangular building, every surface of it completely flat and blank, made out of what looked like dark metal. A large multi-levelled courtyard stretched out in front of it, containing (surprisingly enough to Alan) patches of greenery and even a few trees. The whole complex was surrounded by a high oval-shaped wall, giving Alan the impression of looking at a football stadium.

There was enough space in the courtyard to land the _Serenity_, and Bishop did so, the ship rocking slightly as it landed. A large crowd of technicians, engineers and soldiers were already gathering around the ship as the cargo ramp lowered. Alan and Telek were the first to step off, followed by Alistair, John and Rachel. Bishop and José brought up the rear, pushing a gurney carrying the unconscious Kiryuu between them. Striding towards them through the crowd was Lord Terrence Hood, white-haired, his face lined with age but full of an evident inner fire and sense of purpose to his stride. Dressed in a smart white naval uniform with dozens of awards displayed on his chest, he saluted with a warm smile to Telek, who returned the salute.

"Telek, it's good to see you again," said Lord Hood. "Though I thought the war wasn't over for you."

"Well, you know me," said Telek. "I have an affinity of disobeying orders."

"Makes me wonder how you managed to get so high in rank inside the Covenant," Hood said with a chuckle.

"You know that Sangheili rank is based on kills than merits," said Telek. "More warriors I kill off during a battle, the higher in rank I get. And I've killed a lot of innocent human soldiers to get where I am. Not proud of that one bit."

"I know," said Lord Hood. "But I think switching over to the merit system has made you a better warrior in the long run."

"Well, it makes earning the rank more honourable," said Telek. "Which is why I am here. As you can see, I've done one more good deed."

Lord Hood turned to the body of Kiryuu Knight who was still on the stretcher. His eyes became dark when he saw the still body and he lowered his head.

"I told him he shouldn't have gone," he said. "I told him."

"You think you could stop Kiryuu from doing what he wanted to do?" Telek asked.

"No," he said. "But I wanted to."

"Well," said Telek. "I told you I had help."

"Yes," said Lord Hood. "Now, about this Alan Tyler."

"Alan," said Telek. "I would like you to meet five-star Admiral Terrence Hood."

"Mr. Tyler," said Lord Hood. "I must say, a ragtag, skeleton crew going out on your own to rescue Kiryuu Knight. Quite a feat. A foolish one, but a feat nonetheless. I'd expect this sort of thing from Telek, and believe me, he can handle it, but not someone like you."

"I've made a career of doing the unexpected, sir," Alan replied frostily, folding his arms. He wasn't sure if he liked Lord Hood; in fact, he felt rather offended at this apparent dismissal of his efforts due to him not being a decorated soldier.

"Lay off, both of ya," said Telek. "Besides we have bigger problems."

"You sent me the file on that," said Lord Hood. "So, Monster Zero is back."

"I'm afraid so," said Telek.

"We've just dealt with the Covenant, now we have that monster that could potentially arrive and cause trouble," said Lord Hood. "Wonderful."

"Take it one step at a time, Terrence," said Telek.

Lord Hood looked up and saw a Falcon fly overhead. It was a personal Falcon and it had the logo of Saeder Krupp emblazoned on the side.

"Well, looks like Lofwyr is here," said Telek.

"I'll handle Lofwyr if he gets out of hand," said Terrence.

"Well, let's not waste any more time then," said Alan. "Let's hope this works."

"Lead the way, Terrence," said Telek.

Lord Hood nodded, and ordered his technicians to take Kiryuu's gurney into the building. He and the technicians moved quickly, with Alan, Telek, John and the _Serenity_ crew running to catch up. They were led deep inside the ONI building, eventually reaching what looked like a large server room, filled high to the ceiling with computer equipment. The room seemed to be at the top of the building, for a skylight could be seen revealing the sunset sky. Kiryuu was immediately attached to some of the servers, his technicians bustling about and giving orders to each other.

"Ideally we'd have an AI assisting us in this," Lord Hood said gravely. "I won't risk Cortana's life with this, though. It could push her too far, and she might end up destroying herself in the process."

"If I may, sir," Bishop chimed in, "my life-expectancy is still within reasonable parameters. I have had a close look at Kiryuu's sub-matrixes, and I know what to look for out in the networks. I believe I can offer assistance to your repair teams."

"A Bishop Unit, huh?" said Lord Hood, raising an eyebrow. "You sure your processors are up to the job?"

"I can vouch for Bishop's abilities," said Alan. "We would never have made it this far without him. It's because of him that there's anything left of Kiryuu to save now."

"I agree," Telek chimed in. "The droid's done alright by my book."

"Alright then," Lord Hood said, turning back to Bishop. "You go do what you can for him."

"Yes, sir," said Bishop, giving a quick salute before joining the technicians. Even with Bishop's help piecing together fragments of Kiryuu's memory would be a long and laborious process.

Just then, the server room had a new visitor, in the form the grey-haired, smartly-suited Lofwyr. From the looks he was receiving now, especially from Alan, he was the least-welcome person on the site. He strode right past Alan and the others, peering out towards the unconscious Kiryuu.

"So he really is here..." Lofwyr murmured. "And not in a good way, from the looks of things." He turned to look at Alan. "Would you kindly tell me where you found him?"

Against his better judgement, Alan told of his experiences on Pandora, of Kiryuu's attempted suicide and of King Ghidorah's return. For once, Lofwyr seemed to be listening carefully, and when he heard of King Ghidorah's return his face became very grave.

"You are certain about this?" he asked.

"Why would the kid lie to you about something like that?" said Telek. "I saw the bastard myself, and so did everyone in the fleet."

Lofwyr nodded. "I must discuss this news with Malcho and Manda. It may take a long time before King Ghidorah makes another attempt on our world; I suspect the only reason he has not attacked now is because he is preparing something to increase his chances. He knows we are capable of resisting him, and I am sure he will take time to prepare himself. No matter how long it takes for him to return, we must make sure that we are ready." With that, he turned back to Alan. "Now to more immediate concerns. About our little bargain..."

"I brought Kiryuu back, just like you said," Alan replied. "Over the last five months I've been poisoned, mauled, shot at and nearly became Flood food, all for his sake. I think that's earned me a reprieve, if not a pardon."

"Yes, I must admit I had not expected you to actually bring the President back," Lofwyr said, before his lips curled into a cold smile. "However, clearly you forgot about the other condition I attached."

"What other condition?" Alan demanded, feeling like the bottom of his stomach had just fallen out of him.

"To bring my ship back in one piece," the dragon replied, his smile becoming more vicious. "I made a quick examination of the _Serenity_ as soon as I arrived. Did you really think I would not notice the extensive modifications made to the ship, clearly intended to cover up for crippling amounts of damage? I wanted you to bring the ship back how she was when she left Earth, and I am not satisfied that you have met this requirement." He turned to Lord Hood. "Lord Hood, I want this mutant placed under arrest for the theft and vandalism of my property, and for him to be placed in my custody." He looked back at Alan with a very hungry look in his eyes and he licked his lips.

"You backstabbing-!" Alan roared, his fist clenched. He would have sprung at Lofwyr there and then if Telek and John had not rushed forward to restrain him. Both shot identical warning glances at him (at least Alan assumed John had, since his face remained covered by his helmet). He wasn't the only one, for the room suddenly exploded in a cacophony of indignant shouts. Alistair, José and even Rachel had all charged forward too, and they were now yelling angrily at Lofwyr as the guards struggled to hold them back. Lord Hood bellowed at the top of his voice to try to restore order, but even he found it hard to make himself heard above the din.

It was then that, even amidst the chaos that had unfolded, Alan saw a pale blue mist seeping its way out of a pouch on Telek's belt.

"_Lofwyr!" _called a familiar voice to him as the blue mist reformed into a silvery dragon with blue markings. _"You will do no such thing!"_

Lofwyr was aghast as the dragon approached him.

"Dunkelzahn?" he asked.

"Call him my Ace," said Telek. "I do believe you two know each other."

"_Do you have any idea what Alan has been through?" _Dunkelzahn asked. _"The Flood, King Ghidorah's return, and more besides? Be thankful that he brought your ship back mostly in one piece or even at all. He had no choice but to modify the ship with Sangheili technology. It was the only thing he could do to even make it as far as he did. He went outside the galaxy, he has made contact with an alien species that is actually benevolent—who want to meet with Earth peacefully. He has helped in the capture of one who glassed your beloved Reach. I think for that, you should let him go. He has gone above and beyond the original request. He has brought back not only Kiryuu Knight, but the two others who went missing as well. I realize your plans were to finally feast upon him after all these years, but those times are over. We have to think about what we are going to do after this war. Eating Alan should be the last thing on your mind right now. Alan has ensured the protection of your crew, placing their safety before his own. He's not the selfish child you once remembered. Has your time in Voi taught you nothing?"_

"You allowed your ship to be stolen," said Telek. "And I pretty much got the testimony from the _Serenity _crew to account this. So, there are no grounds for arrest. Granted, he kidnapped me, but I'm not pressing any charges. As a big man, I'm gonna let that slip. But I see that you aren't a big man. I don't care how big you really are, but you are a very small man. And one day, you will be squished." He looked back at Alan. "I promised Alan that I would make sure you wouldn't do a thing to him. And I keep my promises. You make one move towards the kid, and I'll turn you into a charred spot on the pavement."

He pointed up towards his massive super carrier, which slowly as if cued descended from the sky. The _Shadow of Darkness _covered the area with its enormous shadow, blocking out the sun.

"_I think your main concern is to help in reviving Kiryuu," _said Dunkelzahn. _"Our long time friend. Because he has a lot to tell us."_

"Aren't you going to do something about this?" Lofwyr asked Lord Hood. "He threatened me!"

"Hmm?" Lord Hood spoke up. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What just happened?"

Telek chuckled.

"How dare you!" Lofwyr cried. "I am the one who makes your ships!"

"Because you were drafted into doing so," said Lord Hood. "Not because you wanted to. And unless you want to find yourself in some underground prison for the rest of your near immortal life, I suggest you back down, Mr. Goldensnout. You will continue to make our ships. ONI has some nasty files on you; files that not even your lawyers can dig you out of. I suggest you watch what you say."

"_You see," _Dunklezhan began. _"They are not afraid of you anymore. Times have changed."_

Lofwyr finally backed off, fuming in his mind over this incident. He could not have Alan for lunch. After all these centuries, he could not have Alan. It was not Kiryuu who was protecting the mutant this time. He had earned powerful friends who wanted to protect him. And that was what it was all about.

"Very well then," he finally said, in a rather sulky tone. "I shall be staying in this area, as I wish to hear Knight's account if he awakens. Good day to you all." With that, he spun on his heel and walked straight out of the room.

Alan, meanwhile, felt as if his knees would give way. He felt an inexpressible rush of gratitude for Dunkelzahn, Telek and his crew. After everything that had happened, he knew that he would never be able to adequately thank them all for what they had done for him this day. He opened his mouth to say something, but Dunkelzahn raised a claw, shaking his head with a warm smile.

"_You do not need to say it to any of us, Alan,"_ the dragon said warmly. _"You are very welcome."_ With that, he once again dissolved into mist and retreated back into Telek's pouch. Everything was silent for several seconds. It seemed that, in the heat of the moment, everyone had momentarily lost themselves. Finally, the silence was broken by Lord Hood, who cleared his throat.

"Well, that was fun," he said idly. "But now we must return to the matter at hand." He turned back towards the technicians, who were still working feverishly at restoring Kiryuu. "Bishop, have you had any success so far?"

"Alan's theory was sound," Bishop replied. "We have been able to retrieve some minor subroutines from the UNSC servers, but his code is proving to be very elusive. I do not wish to attempt re-activation until we have every piece of his code. Total retrieval will take several days, at the very least."

"Is there any danger of the worm resurfacing?" asked Lord Hood.

"Not the first one he created, sir," replied Bishop. "I managed to destroy that worm, and I am keeping his systems under constant surveillance. Even if he tries to create a new worm, it can be caught and destroyed before it has time to generate."

"Understood," said Lord Hood. "You keep on it, but don't any of you burn yourselves out over this. I'd rather the work took time than any of you getting sloppy from being too tired to work." He turned back to the others. "As you heard, this might take a while. Official debriefings can wait. You all go and get yourselves some rest. You've earned it."

With one more salute, he stepped out of the server room.

0

The ONI building received a wide variety of visitors over the days that followed. The other Shipmasters and various crew members in the Fleet Shadow of Fury frequently came by, each retelling their stories to interested parties. Of course, their accounts differed greatly; Tom tried to downplay the embarrassing manner of his capture on Pandora six months ago, while Wago seemed to greatly exaggerate his role in the events on Eletania.

"Of course I was the one who single-handedly rescued the crew from near death from a voracious parasite," Wago continued, lifting his head up proudly. "They were lucky to have such a skilled Shipmaster at their side at the time. And I hope they will be eternally grateful. Who knows what might have happened if Tulsa was there instead."

"Shut up, Wago!" Tulsa bellowed.

"Seriously, nobody likes you!" Mitsu called as well.

"Alright, that's enough bickering," said Telek.

"Yes, Excellency," they all said, looking sheepish.

Lofwyr, of course, stayed in the area, and was very subdued whenever he was around, hardly speaking to anyone. His actions had made him very unpopular, and he was having trouble adjusting to the idea that nobody feared him anymore. Indeed he seemed a much more deflated figure than he had been before. The news of Kiryuu's return seemed to have spread quickly in some circles, for the other two dragons Alan knew, Manda and Malcho, came by. Manda was friendly to Alan and eagerly sat through his account of all that had happened to him since they parted company, while Malcho remained polite yet distant, apparently disappointed that Omak-Argon had not played a larger role in the mission.

"After all that he had been through with King Ghidorah," said Manda. "I'm surprised he made it back in this state. It could have been worse."

"Kiryuu is tough," said Malcho. "He can make it through anything."

"Just to think though that he tried to commit suicide though," Manda sighed. "I never thought he would be the one to take that route."

"I know, amigo," said Malcho. "Let's just hope that he's not too damaged from the ordeal."

Kiryuu had many visitors; even though he was unresponsive, there seemed to be a general consensus that, rather like with coma victims, talking to him may help him somehow. There was an atmosphere of great excitement in the building, but Alan knew that there would be no reason to celebrate until Kiryuu had awakened. Through all the excitement and chatter, Bishop and the technicians worked around-the-clock to retrieve the shattered pieces of Kiryuu's memory.

Finally, on the ninth day, Alan received the news that he had waited for; all of Kiryuu's data had been recovered, and the technicians would be attempting re-activation later that day...

0

Bishop stood up from the computer and turned around to the other technicians.

"I do believe that what needs to be done now in order to activate him properly is to remove the AI itself," he said. "Because he is so many fragments, they all need to be compiled into one inside his AI through a direct line."

"How do we remove the AI?" asked one of the technicians. "That is only done when Kiryuu is in his true size. The AI itself is the size of two medicine balls and it weighs almost a thousand pounds."

"I do believe we now have a way to return him to his true size," said Bishop. "If one of the dragons will be so willing to–as the saying goes 'zap' him. We will need to move Kiryuu out into the courtyard. It has enough room to fit his near 200-foot size."

They all lifted Kiryuu's body up from the bed and placed him back on the stretcher. As they came outside, Alan and the others were waiting for the news. Alan stood up, confused as to what was going on. Why were they moving Kiryuu?

"What's happening?" asked Alan. "Is he awake?"

"Not yet," said Bishop. "We're moving him outside."

"Why?" Telek asked.

"We need him to be in his true size," said Bishop. "I have to now remove the CPU from Kiryuu's body."

"Remove it?" Telek said. "Can that be done?"

"Yes," said Bishop. "When Kiryuu Knight was first built, his programmer Will Penter made it easy to have the AI removed from its casing. Especially when they needed to move Kiryuu from place to place. Just in case something happened to the body on transit, the AI would still be usable. There is a maintenance shaft in Kiryuu's neck that leads directly into his central processing unit–the very essence of what makes Kiryuu. We will just remove it and bring it inside in order to compile the fragments into one. It is very simple."

"Well, hurry up and do it," said Telek.

"I will need the assistance of one of the dragons," said Bishop. "To make him return back to his true size."

"I volunteer," said Manda.

"No, I will," said Malcho.

"Malcho, I think you've done enough already," said Manda. "Considering that was your tower that Truth took up to the Ark–which gave reason for Kiryuu to follow in the first place. If anything else is said, this is your fault."

"All the more reason for me to do it," said Malcho. "I was the one who screwed up. Let me do it, por favor."

"No," said Manda. "Not this time. I'll do it. You just watch as I do it."

"Caramba," said Malcho, "Fine!"

When they moved Kiryuu out to the courtyard, they lowered him onto the pavement. He laid face down. Manda motioned for everyone to move back. With a simple gesture of his hand, Kiryuu was suddenly switched from his humanoid size to his true monstrous size. His green dreadlocks moved away from the back of his neck and the access portal was exposed. Bishop pointed to the access shaft and the technicians began to climb up around the enormous spines. One of the technicians began to type in a code into the door and the door slid open. Slowly, he began to descend followed by other technicians into the recesses of Kiryuu's biomechanical body. Metallic armoured parts gave way to biosyntech as they neared the core of Kiryuu's AI, his central processing unit.

There it was, Kiryuu's spheroid artificial intelligence. It was black and shiny with dimly lit blue lights running along the groves of the casing. Biosyntech tendrils grew out from circular, glowing ports along the unit, extending out to attach themselves to the various parts of the mecha itself. A technician came to the sphere and touched its side, feeling along the surface for an impression. Then, he came to it and pushed it. A panel slid out from the sphere, revealing a cyan blue data pad. He pressed several sequences of code into it as well. The data pad retracted and the biosyntech wires then retracted from the slots along the walls into the sphere itself.

The AI was now ready for removal. With a simple push, they began to roll the AI out the shaft. Manda had appeared over the hole and concentrated his mind on the sphere. With his own powers, he began to ease their work, lifting Kiryuu's AI out through telekinesis. Finally he brought the AI out as the technicians climbed out the shaft. Manda slowly lowered the AI softly onto the ground. Telek stood back, his eyes wide when he saw the sphere lower to the ground.

"Holy shit, that thing's huge!" he said.

"Would you believe it was once the size of a beach ball when Kiryuu was first activated?" asked Manda. "That's what Will told me." He turned to Alan. "Well, there he is. Kiryuu Knight–everything that is Kiryuu, his memories, his hopes, his dreams, his emotions–they all reside inside that huge sphere."

"Bloody hell..." Alan breathed. He had never seen Kiryuu's actual AI before. The sphere itself was even taller than Telek. It had a diameter of 15 feet.

"As Kiryuu aged," Manda continued. "He had to make his AI bigger in order to encompass all the memories he had gained. Some memories he could dump in other places where he could then retrieve them later–like swapping out hard drives in a computer."

"Kiryuu's AI is over half a yotta byte in storage space with 3 exa bytes for RAM," said Bishop. "I'm surprised we managed to get most of his fragments within such a short time. And some of those fragments he used to create other UNSC AIs. Which is why each UNSC AI like Cortana refers to Kiryuu as grandfather. They are pieces of him and they cannot live without him. Probably to keep things safe, he kept bits of himself in the servers so that the other AIs would not fret about losing him."

"No doubt if he had to go bigger," said Lord Hood. "He would never be able to fit in his body. That's why he fragments himself, I suspect. His true AI is just too damned big even for that thing. Are we just gonna roll the CPU back into building?"

"That is the plan," said Bishop.

They had to lift the massive AI onto a gurney and roll it into a wide warehouse door at the back of the building. The technicians rode up a maintenance elevator with the AI until they reached the IT floor where they had started from. The others again followed and watched with anticipation as they hooked the sphere up to the computer system that held the fragments. The AI opened up, each panel rising out from the casing to reveal the massive, cyan blue circuitry of all the hardware inside. Kiryuu's AI now looked like a spiky blue, spherical, crystalline geode. The cyan blue circuitry flickered on as Bishop began to type in the correct commands to reprogram the AI with the fragments. Then, he turned to the screen and Kiryuu's operating system flashed on.

**MECHAGODZILLA AILOADING...OK...**

**MECHAGODZILLA AI01001101 01100101 01100011 01101000 01100001 01100111 01101111 01100100 01111010 01101001 01101100 01101100 01100001 00100000 01000001 01001001 00100000 01010111 01101111 01110010 01101011 01101001 01101110 01100111 00101110 00101110 00101110 00001101 00001010 00001101 00001010 01000001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01110011 01111001 01110011 01110100 01100101 01101101 01110011 00100000 01100111 01110010 01100101 01100101 01101110 00101110 00101110 00101110 00001101 00001010 00001101 00001010 01000110 01101111 01110101 01101110 01100100 00100000 01101110 01100101 01110111 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110010 01100100 01110111 01100001 01110010 01100101 00101100 00100000 01110101 01110000 01100100 01100001 01110100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00101110 00101110 00101110 00001101 00001010 00001101 00001010 01000011 01101000 01100101 01100011 01101011 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01101111 01110101 01110100 01110000 01110101 01110100 00101110 00100000 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 00001101 00001010 01001000 01100101 01100001 01100100 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 01001110 01100101 01100011 01101011 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 01010010 00100000 01000001 01110010 01101101 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 01001100 00100000 01000001 01110010 01101101 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 01000001 01000011 01011010 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 01010010 00100000 01000101 01111001 01100101 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 01001100 00100000 01100101 01111001 01100101 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 01010010 00100000 01001100 01100101 01100111 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 01010111 01100001 01101001 01110011 01110100 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 01010100 01100001 01101001 01101100 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 00001101 00001010 01001100 00100000 01001100 01100101 01100111 00100000 01001111 01001011 00001101 00001010 00001101 00001010 00001101 00001010**

**MECHAGODZILLA AIAll systems green...**

**Found new hardware, updating...**

**Checking all output. OK**

**Head OK**

**Neck OK**

**R Arm OK**

**L Arm OK**

**ACZ OK**

**R Eye OK**

**L eye OK**

**R Leg OK**

**Waist OK**

**Tail OK**

**MECHAGODZILLA AI77 101 99 104 97 103 111 100 122 105 108 108 97 32 65 73 32 87 111 114 107 105 110 103 46 46 46 13 10 13 10 65 108 108 32 115 121 115 116 101 109 115 32 103 114 101 101 110 46 46 46 13 10 13 10 70 111 117 110 100 32 110 101 119 32 104 97 114 100 119 97 114 101 44 32 117 112 100 97 116 105 110 103 46 46 46 13 10 13 10 67 104 101 99 107 105 110 103 32 97 108 108 32 111 117 116 112 117 116 46 32 32 79 75 13 10 13 10 72 101 97 100 32 79 75 13 10 78 101 99 107 32 79 75 13 10 82 32 65 114 109 32 79 75 13 10 76 32 65 114 109 32 79 75 13 10 65 67 90 32 79 75 13 10 82 32 69 121 101 32 79 75 13 10 76 32 101 121 101 32 79 75 13 10 82 32 76 101 103 32 79 75 13 10 87 97 105 115 116 32 79 75 13 10 84 97 105 108 32 79 75 13 10 13 10 76 32 76 101 103 32 79 75 13 10 13 10 13 10**

When all that was finished, Bishop typed in the first sentence to the AI.

Hello, Kiryuu.

MechaGHello.

How are you feeling?

MechaGWhere am I? I cannot see.

You are not connected to your body. So, your eyes do not work.

MechaGYou have not answered my question. Who are you?

My designation is Bishop.

MechaGA Bishop Unit? Where am I?

You are in the Office of Naval Intelligence building located in New York City.

MechaGI have been returned to Earth? What happened to King Ghidorah?

Do you remember where you were last?

MechaGI remember I was on P–Pandora. Is that what it was called?

Do you remember anything else?

MechaGDeath...the Flood. I...

Bishop looked away from the screen when he heard a whirling sound coming from the AI. The internal glowing began to flicker violently like it was about to have a spasm. Bishop swiftly came back to the keyboard.

Do not think about that. It is not important anymore.

MechaGI did...something horrible...

The whirling continued, growing louder.

If you continue that, you will burn out your circuitry. I will be forced to shut you down if you continue. We don't want you to fry any of your circuitry. We have worked hard to put you back together.

MechaGWhy? After all that I have done, why?

Because there are people who care about you.

MechaGMy memory is still...fuzzy.

You have yet to compile everything we have downloaded. It seems that only your past memories were affected. Your more recent ones were not. However, we have saved those memories. So, you will be complete again.

MechaGNever complete. Now, I am just a copy.

The screen fell silent after that. Bishop shook his head and then turned to the others who were waiting patiently.

"For now, this is the best we can do," he said. "He thinks he is a copy now, not the real Kiryuu. Which is partially correct. This version is a copy from the original, but at the same time, it is also Kiryuu because much of what I managed to save before the worm would have wiped it all out is the original Kiryuu. Half of him is a copy and the other half is the original. Kiryuu's speech program has also been found as well as the original sample of Gordon Knight's voice. So, he will sound like he did before. But there will be differences. Because of his ordeal with King Ghidorah, he has completely changed. I suggest that an artificial intelligence psychologist be brought in to help work with Kiryuu. If that cannot be done, then, a more drastic measure may be taken. We may have to lobotomise some of Kiryuu's memories, preferably, the ones that revolve around what happened between him and King Ghidorah these last 5 months."

"You're gonna lobotomise Kiryuu Knight?" asked Telek. "Would he want that?"

"Considering what we will be removing, he may," said Bishop. "He would not want to remember it. The memory of King Ghidorah returning will remain and we can work in a line of code that will tell Kiryuu that he was captured by King Ghidorah and tormented and then forced to release the Flood on Pandora, but how it was done, all the details that King Ghidorah did, that will be removed."

"We're talking about Kiryuu Knight, Bishop," said Lord Hood. "The former president of the UNSC. He's a citizen, he has rights. He's more than a computer. Yes, if it were any other UNSC AI, I would agree, but, Kiryuu is legally seen as a person. That legal document regarding that he is in fact a person not a computer has been around since 2007. And everyone born since then has always seen Kiryuu as a person. I know what I'm looking at when I see that sphere. I've seen it before, but it's still a person inside that sphere. The matter is different."

"It is what you may decide," said Bishop. "But so far, Kiryuu has been recovered. His systems are working with optimum efficiency. However, it is the emotional scars inside of him that may affect his performance."

"When will you hook up Kiryuu's voice?" asked Lord Hood.

"In a half an hour," said Bishop. "One of the things that the worm began to eat away was the vocal sample of Gordon Knight's voice. Kiryuu obviously did not want to respond to anyone after the ordeal. But as I said, we have the original sample thanks to the Utah Foundation's current CEO."

"Well, get to it," said Lord Hood. "Inform me when you are finished."

Alan stepped out of the room at this point. He leaned against a wall in the corridor, his arms folded. When he had seen Kiryuu's words on the screen, he could clearly picture the tortured expression on his face that he had seen in the dream-prison, and more recently on Pandora. Part of him couldn't help but feel that King Ghidorah had a point in that reviving him may have made things worse. He shook himself angrily, ashamed of even having such thoughts. After a few moments, Manda approached him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Not really," Alan replied. "I mean, I expected Kiryuu to be in a bad way after all he's been through, but... Well, I guess nothing really prepares you for it." He sighed, looking back towards the server room. "I just... I dunno, I want to say something to him. I want to give him a good kick up the arse and let him know that we didn't expect to be wasting our time when we brought him back."

Manda looked at him, raising his eyebrows. "Not the way I would put it, but what's stopping you?"

Alan looked over at Manda for a moment, trying to find an adequate answer to that question. When he found that he had none, he nodded and walked back to the server room. Only Bishop and the technicians remained, still working to restore Kiryuu's voice, his older memories and any stray code that they thought they might have missed.

"Bishop," said Alan. "Mind if I try and say a few things?"

"Of course not, Captain," replied Bishop. "Communication should not interfere with our work. Keep in mind that he may have difficulty remembering you, for he is still compiling his older memory files."

Alan moved towards the keyboard and paused for a moment. Now that he was here he wasn't sure what he wanted to say or if Kiryuu would even respond. In the end, he thought it best to just test the waters at first and began to type.

Hey, granddad.

MechaGCortana?

No, it isn't Cortana. It's Alan.

MechaGAlan…Tyler. Have you…come to gloat over how I deserved this? Because I do. I have lived a selfish life.

I might have in a past life. Things change. I didn't go through all the trouble I went through to bring you back just to kick you when you're down.

MechaGYou... brought me back?

Don't you remember the dream-world? Don't you remember the promise I made to you then?

MechaGI'm sorry, Alan... My memory is still hazy.

I left Earth five months ago promising to bring you back home. I ran into a lot of problems. I did what I set out to do and then some, but not without a lot of help. You've made a lot of friends out there who wanted to bring you home.

MechaGI do not deserve them. I never deserved those who counted themselves as friends. All I have ever done is hurt them. I cannot even be near my own family without bringing them suffering. Everything I do just makes things worse; Pandora was proof of that. You should have just let me die.

Alan frowned as he began to type again. He was getting more and more frustrated with Kiryuu's behaviour.

I never thought I'd see the day when you gave up, Chrome-Crotch. I know that bastard King Ghidorah has put you through Hell over the last five months, and I'm sorry you had to go through that. I really am. But there's a saying out there: "If you're going through Hell, keep going."

MechaGWinston Churchill... Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War 2...

Exactly. Now out here they're talking about practically lobotomising you, thinking that erasing your memories will help you. I hoped it wouldn't have to come to that, as I thought you were stronger than this. You were stronger than any of us. Of course, if you'd rather sit there and whine like a quarian with an upset stomach, then be my guest.

MechaG... What is a quarian?

Hitting on a sudden idea, Alan turned to Bishop.

"Can I borrow the info that Cujo sent you before we went to Illium?" he asked.

"Of course, Captain," replied Bishop, though he looked a little unsure.

After he had received the data, Alan sat there and spent the next fifteen minutes manually typing in as much of the information as he could. He didn't want to risk downloading it, not at this critical stage, in case something went wrong. He told Kiryuu about the alien races and other sights he had encountered on his journey. Kiryuu seemed to be interested in learning about the life out in the galaxy; though it was difficult to tell through the text, doing so seemed to have taken his mind off the horrifying events on Pandora for the time being.

You see? Life's still going on in the galaxy thanks to you. This Citadel Council plans to make contact with the Earth sooner or later. When they do, and they find out about the Flood and the Halos, they'll want to meet the person who saved everyone in the galaxy. They'd be disappointed if they found out that same person now has fewer peppy moments than an emo album.

Nothing else came onto the screen after that. Alan wondered whether Kiryuu was contemplating what Alan had said. Part of him felt as if he had tried to talk to a wall, with the way Kiryuu was feeling, but he couldn't think of what else to do. It was then that Bishop looked up from his work and contacted Lord Hood.

"Sir," he said, "we've just finished restoring the voice sample. We were about to turn on Kiryuu's voicebox and audio receptors."

Alan backed away as one of the technicians began his work. By inserting a few lines of code, the technician began to compile the data for Kiryuu's auditory sensors and his voice box.

"Alright," he said. "Finished. Mr. Knight, would you like to say something as a test of your voice?"

"I could never truly do Gordon Knight's voice justice," Kiryuu said. That was his voice, the same voice that Gordon Knight once had. Kiryuu, by living for so long had made Gordon Knight practically immortal. Still, it held such saidness and pity that it did not seem the same as it once did. "Perhaps Gordon was right about me. I should have been shut off the moment I became rampant."

"You can't just sit there and sulk!" Alan said. "That is not the Kiryuu I knew."

"Then I am not him, Alan Tyler," said Kiryuu. "He died because of his sins done in the name of King Ghidorah. I am just a fragment of what he was."

"I won't let you think like that about yourself," said Alan.

"If Lord Hood so wishes to remove those memories from my database," Kiryuu began. "Then I will not stop him. It's better to not remember than to continue on with the memory. You do not understand. If I continue on with these memories, then I will die."

"Bullshit!" Alan shouted. "No-one ever died from a bad memory! I can't believe you'd just give up!"

"Please, Mr. Tyler," began the technician. "Mr. Knight is still fragile. Give him time. He may change his mind. But don't upset him right now. It would only make his condition worse."

Alan could not adequately describe his frustration. At that very moment he would have liked nothing better than to smash Kiryuu's AI and be done with it. He was on the verge of doing so, but barely held himself in. He tried to keep his breathing steady, trying to suppress the roar of pure rage that wanted to escape from him.

"It's your choice, Kiryuu," he said, in a low and very bitter tone. "Just remember though that I'm not letting him win. Or just erase that too, if it's really that easy."

Without waiting for Kiryuu to reply he marched straight out of the server room. He leaned against the wall just outside the door, shaking from head to foot. He felt as if his whole mission had been a waste of effort, as if Kiryuu had personally spat him in the eye as his way of showing gratitude. He was in such a foul mood that he didn't notice Lord Hood until he was right next to him.

"I got Bishop's message," said Lord Hood. "Are you coming in?"

"No," replied Alan. "I'd rather not be here for this."

Before Lord Hood could ask what he meant by that, Alan was already walking down the corridors, past Kiryuu's other well-wishers and out into the courtyard. Kiryuu's enormous body still lay there, and Alan turned his head away, now feeling disgusted whenever he saw the figure. He had half a mind to just take the _Serenity_ and put as much distance between himself and Kiryuu as possible. He had never felt so ashamed.

He could not believe that he was now thinking fondly of the old Kiryuu; the one he had known for so long. That Kiryuu had shown time and again that, even when his world had been destroyed, when he was tired and broken and his future was hopeless, that was when he stood up. That was when he would fight back. This "Kiryuu" in the server room seemed to him to be packing it all in now that all signs were pointing to him being a failure. Bitterly, Alan thought that perhaps the AI was right; he really was just a pale imitation of the real deal, like the figures from the dream-prison.

Kiryuu sat inside his CPU, trying to file all the memories he had regained from the procedure. All of these memories that he once had, that he purposefully tried to erase came flooding back to him. One particular memory spoke out to him the most. He remembered when Gordon Knight ordered Will to try and reprogram him after he first showed signs of rampancy. He remembered that he would not let that happen. Kiryuu fought back, telling Will that his mind was his own and that no one shall alter it. He remembered rerouting the programming Will attempted to make on his AI as well, and then tricking Gordon into thinking he was reprogrammed. Then, Kiryuu struck, setting off the alarms and tricking the base to letting him go fight Godzilla when there was no sign of the monster anywhere. Kiryuu made his move and attacked Tokyo. No one was going to stop him. He remembered fighting against the spirit of Gojira, the very essence that inhabited the bones of the mecha's body.

He would not go down without a fight. He would not let anyone alter his AI unless it was just to repair it. Now, he was willing to allow people to erase his memories.

_How the mighty have fallen,_ Kiryuu thought with regret. _Why? Why am I doing this? Is it because I have become so old and so weary that I have lost my strength to stand up? I wanted to go out with a bang, but instead I am now going out with a whimper. I am not Kiryuu Knight. This is not me._

He sighed within his processors and reclined back.

_Do you think that I would allow you to go out like that?_ A voice came prying into his processors. _After all this time? I have given you my gift, my powers, sacrificed myself to ensure that you could face him, and this is how you repay me?_

Two eyes stared back from the darkness as green, vine-like appendages snaked around his ethereal form. Kiryuu looked around at them and then focused on the eyes.

_Erica? _He asked.

_Who else?_

Erica Munson, also known as Biollante, a monster created by the United States, a remnant in his processors, still was there even after the worm had worked its magic.

_After all you have been through, you are giving in at last,_ she said.

_What are you doing here?_

_When you began to make copies of yourself back in the early 21__st__ Century, you made a copy of me, _she replied. _So, I live on in you. And I will not let you go out like this. You are Kiryuu Knight. You are not a copy. These fragments that you created were your security lest anything were to happen to the main AI. You made them so that you could live on, so that you could be restored. And you will still keep on being what you are. Don't let King Ghidorah win, even if he cannot be destroyed. As long as there are people to fight him, he will never win._

With that, the green vines retracted and the eyes disappeared. Kiryuu concentrated and allowed Biollante's gift to once more touch his mind. He could sense the outside world, see the people outside his AI's casing working diligently on him. He could see Lord Hood standing there with Bishop, ready to erase those memories. Then, he decided to speak.

"Stop!"

His powerful voice reverberated through the walls and it startled everyone in the room.

"Mr. President?" Lord Hood asked.

"You will not be altering any more of my mind, Admiral Hood," said Kiryuu. "I do believe that I shall keep those memories I had received from King Ghidorah. After all, to forget will only cause more mistakes. And I intend to make no mistakes."

His voice sounded firm. That was the voice of Kiryuu Knight. Strong, resourceful, and of course charismatic. Lord Hood's mouth raised into a slight smile. Then he turned to his technicians.

"You heard him!" he bellowed. "Leave the former President be."

"Yes, sir," said one of the technicians.

"Terrence," Kiryuu began. "There is much to be discussed after you place me back into my body. For one thing, I am concerned for the wellbeing of Cortana and the vital knowledge she contains. After all, she gained that knowledge from Dr. Catherine Halsey while she was on Reach. There is much missing in the ONI file Halsey sent to me before her disappearance. Cortana is the one who holds that knowledge."

"Yes, sir," said Lord Hood.

"Continue with repairs," said Kiryuu. "I want to be functioning fully when we are ready to put me back into my body. Secondly, Alan had proposed an interesting issue regarding this new civilization of aliens. We must look into this. After all, with Halsey's information from Reach, if we were to delve any further, making new allies along with the Sangheili will prove fruitful. After all, with Dr. Iqbal's continuation of research on Forerunner artefacts, we must be careful in what we are dealing with."

"That can be arranged," said Lord Hood. "But we must focus on rebuilding our forces again as well. There are still Covenant out there amongst the stars. And it will have to be up to the new president to decide that."

"I can only make suggestions, Terrence," said Kiryuu. "However, I do suggest that Turpin look into the re-terraformation of the planet Reach. Because it still holds the much-needed titanium Earth requires in building our ships, the UNSC should consider that as an option. I am certain that Lofwyr will be more than pleased about this as well. After all, the war is over, we can rebuild the planets we have lost. Reach should be one of the top priorities."

"Mr. Knight," said Terrence. "It's good to have you back."

"It is good to be back," said Kiryuu. "And do inform Alan Tyler that I have no wish to lose ever again. And if you don't mind, bring him back in here; I have been keeping something safe, as a favour to a mutual friend, that he may find interesting."

"Yes, sir," said Lord Hood.

"Alan, do you read me?" Bishop said into his commlink. "Kiryuu wants to see you."

"_Why?"_ replied Alan. _"Does he need me to pick what memories to get rid of?"_

"Quite the opposite, in fact," said Bishop. "He wanted to inform you that – and these are his words – he has no wish to lose ever again. He also says he has something which may be of interest to you."

There was silence on the other end for a few moments, before Alan replied:

"_I'm on my way."_

There were a few moments of silence while the technicians resumed work. Then Alan strode back into the server room. From his expression it was clear that he was still annoyed at how Kiryuu had behaved before.

"This had better be good," he said irritably.

"Is that any way to talk to Mr. Knight, son?" said Lord Hood firmly.

"No, Terrence," said Kiryuu. "Alan has every right to be angry after my behaviour towards him before. Things were said which I am not proud of. I should have remembered that to forget the past would be to doom myself to repeat it. I hope that, in time, Alan will find it in his heart to forgive a foolish old man." There was a moment of silence. "Alan, will you give me temporary access to your commlink? I have been keeping some data files safe for you, and I believe now is as good a time as any to receive them, as my way of an apology."

Alan was hesitant at first, but in the end he agreed. He walked closer to the enormous ball of circuitry and held out his arm, showing his commlink in plain view. At once a small bio-syntech tendril snaked its way out of one of the access ports and plugged itself into a slot in the commlink. Lines of computer code filled Alan's screen for a moment, before the tendril retracted itself back into the sphere. Examining the new data, Alan found that it consisted of a video file and numerous photographs; the video was dated from the mid-22nd century. Opening the video file, Alan let out a sudden gasp.

On the screen was Miki Saegusa, a woman who had been very close to Alan back in the late 21st century. She was now lying in bed and had aged considerably, with a shock of white hair and lines on her face. She was looking just off to the side, as if addressing someone off-camera.

"_Is it recording?"_ she asked. Upon apparent confirmation she turned back to the screen.

"_Hello, Alan,"_ she said. _"By the time you see this I'll be long gone. However, before the end, I wanted to make arrangements so that someday you might see this message. I don't know what sort of world you will awaken to, but I hope it is a happier one than the one you left, and even if it isn't I'm sure you'll pull through. I also hope our mutual acquaintance Kiryuu Knight is keeping his promise._

"_There is a lot to tell about my life since we parted ways. After you were frozen I left Seattle; there was nothing left there to keep me in that city. I moved shortly afterwards to Manhattan. I know how risky that was, especially with the presence of Xanatos Enterprises and the trouble we caused them. However, it turned out to be the safest place to be, for the Manhattan Clan gave me their protection. I became a sort of honorary member of the clan, like Elisa. David Xanatos knew better than to touch me or anyone I was close to, knowing he would always risk facing reprisal from both the clan and Kiryuu._

"_A month after I moved I met the man who would become my husband, Frank Glenn, God rest his soul. He was such a dear to me during such a difficult time. I was still a shadowrunner, but that was losing its appeal with all of us now gone our separate ways. We settled down, had our own children, and lived very happy lives together. We were even named as godparents to Brooklyn's second child, Eguardo. Hopefully there should be some photos of us with this message. To cut a long story short, life was never dull for us._

"_At the time that I am recording this, my husband died three years ago. He never knew the truth about you; all that he knew was that you were an old friend who our son was named after. I sometimes wondered how things might have turned out had you not been snatched from my life in so cruel a manner, but I knew that I had to go on living. I know that you would never have wanted me to go through my life lamenting what might have been. I hope that you will now do the same._

"_Of course, as you might have guessed, I still never forgot about you. I have lived an absolutely wonderful life, and I have never forgotten your part in it. As I remember the time we spent together, I look back on it with warm feelings, fond memories and a special place in my heart. Now go live your life; I know you will keep fighting the good fight, and I can leave this life confident in that knowledge."_ It was then that Miki let out a hacking cough; it was clear to Alan that she would not have had much longer to live after this video had been recorded.

"_Goodbye, Alan,"_ she finished, putting on a brave smile. _"And good luck."_ With that, the recording ceased. Once it was over, Alan began to sift through the photos that he had been given. They were family photos, most of them showing Miki and a fair-haired, smiling man who Alan took to be Glenn. There were baby pictures of two children, one boy and one girl, and as Miki and Glenn grew older so did they. Some photos showed visits from various members of the Manhattan Clan, including the small gargoyle Eguardo, who was the pot model of his father.

As the photos progressed and the occupants visibly aged, Alan saw a whole life unfold before his eyes. Ever since he had awakened he had wondered what had become of Miki, but had never known the truth. Now, at last, he could bring some closure to that aspect of his life. She had lived a full and happy life, and that was all that mattered to him. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to shed some dignified tears.

Even after Alan had finished viewing the photos no-one in the server room spoke. All had apparently come to a silent agreement that there was nothing that needed to be said.


	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue: The Galactic Stage**

It took three more weeks before Kiryuu deemed himself ready to be returned to his body. He had remained strangely quiet on the current situation and preparations for the future; it seemed that he was saving that for a larger conference. On those few occasions where he did talk to a visitor, he was very distracted, saying that he was 'thinking' whenever someone pointed this out.

His most immediate concern was Cortana's welfare, and upon returning to his body the first thing he did was have Cortana brought to him. He worked day and night in reparing the AI. He took some of his own components to repair Cortana with, which did in fact extend her life. The years that were stolen from her, he managed to give back. Then, finally, he managed to get her working properly again. Her hologram flashed on from the holotank and she looked up at her grandfather with now relieved eyes.

"Grandfather," she said. "It is good to see you operational again."

"Same as you, Cortana," said Kiryuu in a loving voice. "Did Dr. Halsey give you something?"

"Yes, she did," Cortana replied. "Though it took nearly two years for me to finally give it to you. I had no choice though, I was ordered to make that blind jump."

She sent the information wirelessly into Kiryuu's CPU and he suddenly came to realize that all this time, Dr. Halsey knew of Halo. The Forerunner artefact that was found on Reach told her of the ring and what it could do. From there, when she gave that information to then Captain Telek 'Herosee and the Noble Team, they had to make it to the _Autumn _before the Covenant got it.

"Telek knew what he was doing when he ordered you to do so," said Kiryuu. "He knew he could not tell Captain Keyes what Dr. Halsey had found, nor could he tell why Keyes had to take the _Autumn _to Halo. We had to make sure that what we had found was really there. And she was right, it was the thing that helped end the war. Through Halo, we found the Ark, through Halo, Telek was able to convince his species of the lies the Prophets had told. It did save us."

He took in a deep breath and smiled.

"Thank you for delivering the package, Cortana," he said. He closed his eyes and watched as an image of Dr. Halsey appeared in the virtual space inside his CPU.

"_President Kiryuu Knight," _she began. _"By the time you have received this message, I have been captured, killed, or I've disappeared. You know the utmost importance of the safety of Reach, but I fear that Captain Telek 'Herosee is right. Despite our best efforts of keeping our worlds safe from the Covenant, as long as there are artefacts such as this on Reach, the Covenant will find us. The Covenant has found Reach all because of this areifact, not because of any mistake Captain Telek 'Herosee has made. I hope you can forgive him. But it is through this artefact and through his diligent help that we have found something that could help us win the war against our enemy. He will take my AI Cortana to that location and he will help further my studies. And I hope you will too."_

"You can bet on that," said Kiryuu.

The day after he was finished with Cortana, Kiryuu called an urgent meeting between himself, Lord Hood, Manda, Malcho and Lofwyr. Both Telek and Alan had also been invited to attend, and soon all seven figures were crowded around a large table in one of the meeting rooms.

"I thank you all for coming," said Kiryuu. "As you must know the information that I now possess is of the utmost confidentiality. This is Office of Naval Intelligence classified intel. Though I am no longer the Commander in Chief, I still hold a high standing within ONI. I always have ever since my involvement with the SPARTAN program. For one, Vice-Admiral Telek 'Heros, Dorva 'Elus may have helped the Covenant locate Reach, but you were correct in stating that it was the Forerunner artefact that drew them there. I would like to inform you that I intend on rebuilding Reach. I am sure Lofwyr will be satisfied with that."

"I am," said Lofwyr. "Implicitly."

"In order for us to continue in the research of Forerunner artifacts," said Kiryuu. "We must return to other glassed worlds as well. Kholo should also be a concern. It was glassed by the Covenant several years back, I do believe."

"2539," said Lord Hood.

"I knew the Sangheili who was the Fleet Master in charge of the glassing," said Telek. "However, I did not take part in it. My particular fleet glassed Harvest, Hat Yai, Jericho VII, and a few others as well. And of course I assisted in the partial glassing of Earth in order to destroy the Flood that landed on it. Yes, every last one of them contained some form of Forerunner artefact or structure."

"The UNSC had 150 worlds under its belt," said Lord Hood. "All but 10 are now glassed. How can we hope to attempt to re-terraform them?"

"Malcho," began Kiryuu. "You and I have a job to do, then. But do not bother with Pandora. I want that moon to remain glassed."

"Connection Healing nearly 140 worlds," said Malcho. "That is quite a feet, amigo. I don't think I could do it."

"It'll be the very least thing you could do after what you've done, feather duster!" Lofwyr bellowed. "And you can start by rebuilding my Reach!"

"You never even set foot on that planet, pendejo," said Malcho.

"I will find a way to do that," said Lofwyr. "Someday, I will find a way to set foot on Reach. And perhaps I'll go live there. It'll be a lot better than living on the same planet as idiots like you!"

"That is enough!" Kiryuu bellowed, his powerful voice calling everyone's attention. "For 500 years, I've had to live with the two of you bickering. To say the least, hopefully the Covenant/Human War has taught you two a lesson. Apparently it did not. I will not stand for either of you tearing each other apart. We've lost nearly everything at the end of this war. We were lucky to have come out on top. Mostly it had to do with the decision that Truth made to give the power over to the Brutes and kicking out the Elites. If Truth hadn't have done that, we would still be fighting." He ran a claw through his dreadlocks. "Now, onto other business. I am interested in what Mr. Tyler has to say about this Citadel. After all, if we are to continue on with our study of Forerunner artefacts, we must make as many friends as we can."

"I'll tell you what I know," said Alan, before turning to Telek. "Telek, I may need your help with this; Cujo only gave me the basics." He raised his commlink and sifted through the files Cujo had supplied, Bishop having given him a copy while Kiryuu was being repaired.

"Here we are..." he said, beginning to read from the notes. "Yeah, the Citadel's a massive space station located in the Serpent Nebula, near the Widow star. Current estimates put it as being over 50 millennia old. It was apparently built by a race called the Protheans, but... Hang on, Cujo wrote a footnote. The Sangheili have the theory that, due to the nature of the Protheans' technology, especially their work with Mass Effect Physics - whatever that might be - there's a strong chance that the Protheans are the galaxy's name for the Forerunners. They didn't just make the Halos and the Shield Installations; galactic civilisation is practically built on their work.

"From the Citadel, the Council decides what goes on in what's called Citadel Space, accounting for a portion of the galaxy up to the Attican Traverse. The Council is made up of one representative from each of the three key races; the Asari, the Salarians and the Turians. The Citadel also houses ambassadors from other species, such as the Elcor and the Volus."

"Each race plays to its own strengths," said Telek. "The Asari are the diplomats and mediators in any political debate. The Salarians gather intelligence and run covert operations, mostly through their Special Tasks Group. The Turians bring the bulk of the military and peacekeeping efforts." He removed his helmet and scratched his head. "I remember hearing whispers that the Prophets had considered the Turians for a place in the Covenant, but they decided they were tied too deeply to the Council to be approached. Better them than the Jirahalnae, if ya ask me."

"Wait, wait," said Lord Hood. "You mean to tell me there's been a whole galactic government all this time? Where were they when we were fighting the Covenant?"

"From what I was told," replied Alan, "it was something about keeping galactic stability, and the Terminus Systems were mentioned."

"The Covenant and all the races in it come from the Terminus Systems," Telek chimed in. "People out in Terminus generally don't get along with the Council. The Council would've known the war was going on; it was hard to miss, after all. I expect the aggression of the Covenant would have shocked them as much as anyone else, but they must have felt that they couldn't show open opposition without uniting the Terminus Systems, including the Covenant, against a common enemy. If they tried diplomacy I didn't know about it, and it obviously didn't work. Even if the Council sent in Spectres the Covenant would know about their involvement. In other words, it wouldn't be just human worlds getting glassed if the Council had gotten involved."

"So what you're saying is that they were cowards," Lofwyr snorted.

"There are trillions of lives in Citadel Space alone that they have to think about," Telek replied. "Besides, we won, didn't we? Ain't that why they're even going to contact Earth? No sense cryin' over their no-show now. On that note though, the Council are no strangers to major conflict, what with the Rachni Wars, the Krogan Rebellions and most recently the Geth War. They could've easily kicked out any Covenant forces that invaded Citadel space, but the Covenant was always careful not to encroach on their turf."

"The Asari I spoke to hinted that the Council has been keeping an eye on us," said Alan. "If they were able to learn English they must have been observing us for a long time, probably since we started colonisation on other planets."

"So why've they not made open contact before?" asked Lord Hood.

"As I recall," mused Telek, "no species has been approached before being deemed capable of making a significant contribution to the galaxy at large. A big part of that is the discovery of a mass relay which is in close proximity to the nexus of their civilisation; after all, what good can a species be if they can't get from one place to another quickly enough? Think about how long it took to get the UNSC as far as they did, and they still only covered less than 1% of the galaxy."

"What are mass relays?" asked Manda.

"They're usually found on the edge of star systems," said Telek. "There are a lot of them scattered all over the galaxy, built by the Forerunners along with the Citadel, which in itself acts as the hub of the relay network. When they work properly and are connected to the network, they allow for slip-space travel between any connected relays."

"What difference does that make to you?" asked Lofwyr. "The Sangheili already had slip-space technology."

"Oh, any ship can have a slip-space drive," Telek shrugged. "The mass relays take it one step further though. Let me put it this way; it took us two months to get to the site of the Ark using our slip-space drives. If a connecting mass relay had been there, we could have used a relay ourselves and would have made the trip in two seconds. Now that I think about it, the space bridge might have been some form of early mass relay, before the technology was perfected. Anyway, I bet one of the reasons the Council hadn't sought to approach humanity yet would have been the lack of a mass relay in the Sol system, though maybe the war made them re-evaluate that policy."

"Good thing there isn't one here then," said Lord Hood. "If what you say is true, then the Covenant would have found Earth a lot sooner if we had one of those relays."

"Actually," said Telek, now looking awkward, "that's not entirely accurate."

"What do you mean?" asked Kiryuu.

"When my team defected and first came to this system," said Telek, "we picked up a faint energy signature coming from Pluto's moon, Charon. When we took a look at the signal, it matched with similar Forerunner signatures we'd discovered back when we studied our local mass relay. We think there may be a relay buried under the ice. We kept that information to ourselves, in case the Covenant intercepted it." He looked apologetically at Lord Hood. "I'm sorry, Terrence, but we couldn't take the risk of the Covenant learning about the relay and activating it."

"Good God," Lord Hood sighed, taking off his hat and running his hand through his short, white hair.

"Terrence," began Telek. "Everything that I have done while I was in the UNSC, I have done to prevent the Covenant from knowing the location of Earth and also to make sure that you would never know about Halo. Unfortunately when Dr. Halsey found that artefact on Reach, it made my efforts null and void. I did everything to protect you. At least one thing could be done to keep the Covenant away from you. So, I never told you about the relays."

Kiryuu sighed and rose up from his chair: "Then we need to contact this Citadel. My concern over Forerunner artefacts has to do with possibly utilizing them to get rid of King Ghidorah. The Forerunners charged Earth with that duty. I will make sure that they have not died in vain. We don't have the Ark anymore; we don't have the Halos, now all we have is our wits and what is left of their civilization. Perhaps the Citadel can assist in this. How do we go about proposing an alliance with them, Telek?"

"The first order of business should be finding that relay on Charon and getting it working again," said Telek. "Now's as good a time as any to get it going; what's left of the Covenant is being kept busy by my people, and any other hostile forces shouldn't pose much of a threat. They're Forerunner tech, so it shouldn't be a problem to activate it. We can then show you how it works and then, if the Council don't come to us, we can go to them on the Citadel itself. Once we get the relay running you'll also be able to access the comm channels that they use for galactic communication. Those are what we call the 'public' channels; you'll have to use UNSC bandwidths if you still want privacy."

"Can any ship use these mass relays?" asked Lofwyr.

"Not any Earth-made vessel that I know of," Telek replied. "You need a compatible slip-space drive to take advantage of the Element Zero that the mass relays use to make the big jumps possible. Luckily Sangheili drives are compatible, so we can give you a lift to the Citadel if need be. Things going to plan then you should be able to get some help fitting out your ships with the proper drives sooner rather than later."

Kiryuu clapped his claws together. "Terrence," he said, "we'll need to be ready for departure within the next few days. Telek, I want you to give us a ride to Pluto and see if we can find the relay. The sooner we do this, the sooner channels with the Citadel can be opened."

"If you say so, Kiryuu," said Telek. Afterwards, the meeting was dismissed, and Telek added in a low whisper to Alan as they walked down the corridor, "So after saving his ass we get to be his caretakers."

0

The following day, all was prepared for the team's departure for Pluto. The _Shadow of Darkness_ would be transporting a science team's ship through slip-space. Both Kiryuu and Lord Hood would personally be overseeing the operation, in case an opportunity opened up to travel to the Citadel there and then. To everyone's surprise, Kiryuu decided to ride up to Telek's ship in the _Serenity_. Not even Alan could say for certain what the mecha was thinking with this. When they went to board the _Serenity_, however, they found Lofwyr waiting for them.

"Oh, yeah," Alan said darkly. "I guess you'll be wanting your ship back..."

"That won't be necessary," Lofwyr replied. His voice sounded oddly strained, as if this was taking every ounce of resolve that he had. "You have been the captain of the _Serenity_ for nearly six months now. I just came to tell you that I have relinquished ownership. She is now legally yours to do with as you please."

Alan, rather taken aback by this, didn't say anything for a minute. "What's the catch?" he asked.

"No catch," replied Lofwyr. "It's all been taken care of by certain... interested parties. You may have to find your own crew; the ones I loaned to you all resigned recently. Good day."

With that said, he strode straight back into the ONI building without a backward glance. For a moment Alan wondered what had just happened, but when he looked up at Kiryuu he saw that the mecha had an odd smirk on his face. A great many suspicions entered Alan's mind, but he decided that now was not a good time to question him. As he followed Kiryuu and Telek into the cargo bay he saw that there was a new addition to the cargo; there was now what looked like a large metal crate, big enough for a man to fit comfortably inside, stood next to the environment suit lockers. The Utah Foundation's logo was emblazoned on it. Feeling that his curiosity would have to wait, Alan headed up to the bridge. When he got there, he was surprised to find not only Kiryuu and Telek waiting for him, but Alistair, Bishop, José and Rachel as well.

"I thought you lot had quit?" he asked, making no effort to mask his surprise.

"Yeah, we quit our employment with Lofwyr, Malcho, and any others," Alistair smirked. "We're all yours now, mate. We know what we need to do now, so if you have no objections we'll just do it, shall we?"

Alan didn't say a word as a broad grin spread across his face.

0

Telek sat down onto his command chair and gave the order in a harsh grunt for his helmsman to leave the planet's atmosphere. The ship took off, heading straight out and swiftly passing Earth's only natural satellite. Kiryuu stood beside the Supreme Commander, watching the bluish holographic screen in front of him display the star-filled space.

"I want to make sure we're well away from any UNSC ship and Earth itself," said Telek. "Trust me, you don't want to be caught within the wake of a super carrier going into slip-space."

"We have cleared all human ships, Excellency," said Joli.

"On my mark," said Telek. "3, 2, 1…mark. Punch it!"

The elegant slice of blue white glowing nimbus appeared before the bow of the ship. The glowing spread even wider until it became a spherical blackness surrounded by a blue halo and electricity. The moment the ship entered the portal, Telek could feel the ship lurch forward, shifting speed. Telek turned around to Kiryuu.

"It'll take us probably a couple of minutes to get to Pluto," he said.

"Good," said Kiryuu. He looked back as Alan and his crew walked up behind him. "It won't be long now."

"When we reach Charon," began Telek. "I'll turn on the Luminary. It'll help us know where the exact location of the relay is. If you are wondering, Alan, a Luminary is a Covenant device that is used in locating Forerunner structures. It is how they were able to find many of the human planets without having to kidnap ships."

"And now it's gonna help push humanity further through the galaxy than ever," Alan said wryly. "The irony is delicious."

Two minutes later, the _Shadow of Darkness_ was dropping out of slip-space close to Pluto, the ninth planet of the Sol system. The planet itself was tiny, only two-thirds the size of Luna, Earth's moon. Orbiting the tiny ball of ice was its largest moon, Charon, which itself was over half the size of Pluto itself. Something that Alan noticed was that the shape of the moon was a lot less even than what he had believed; it was extremely lumpy and deformed. It reminded him more of pictures he had seen of Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, than any moon in the traditional sense.

"Joli," said Telek, "turn on the Luminary. Let's see what exactly's down there."

"Yes, Excellency," Joli nodded, activating the device. On the map table a holographic display of Charon suddenly emerged, making the uneven shape of the moon more apparent. A series of glyphs began to show themselves, apparently locking on to a faint signal coming from somewhere inside the moon. Telek looked closely at the holograph, as the glyphs began to merge and fix on the very centre of the moon. A shape was traced over the holograph, resembling a tuning fork. The shape took up nearly all of the space inside the moon. Telek's brow furrowed, as he began to understand the meaning of it all.

"If I'm reading this right," he said, "then we won't have to dig far to get to what we want. According to this, the moon itself is the relay; it's just buried under a few layers of ice!" He pressed a few buttons on the arm of his chair and began to speak into the communicator. "Terrence, can you get your ship out there?"

"_Just give us the word, Telek,"_ came Lord Hood's reply.

"All your science vessels come with mining lasers as standard, right?" asked Telek. "You shouldn't need to dig far to reach the relay; a few hours' work and it should be out of the ice. We can't risk using the _Shadow_'s own cannons; we don't wanna risk blowing that relay to bits. You've got clearance to leave, and I'll send you coordinates of where to fire. Good luck."

"_Roger, Telek,"_ said Lord Hood. Minutes later, the science team's vessel, small enough for four of them to have fitted in the _Shadow of Darkness_' hangar, was floating out through the vacuum towards Charon. Time passed too slowly for Alan as the long, monotonous job of chipping away the ice took place. Telek kept giving instructions to Lord Hood about where to aim the laser, in case the mass relay was accidentally damaged.

Hours passed, and Alan found it hard to pay attention to what was going on. As the ice was blasted apart more of the sleek metal surface of the relay was revealed, and it gradually occurred to everyone present just how large the relay must be; while it was smaller than the _Shadow of Darkness_, it dwarfed the science vessel. Even the largest UNSC frigate would not be able to match its size. Eventually, as a large circular cavity in the relay was cleared, Telek gave the signal for the mining to stop.

"That should do it," said Telek. "Now take your ship clear. We've exposed the mechanism where the eezo core is housed. With that clear, we should be able to get the relay working again. They're easy to get working; if you have the activation code, you just need to transmit it." Once the science vessel was clear, he immediately began to press some buttons on his command chair, transmitting the signal. "Of course, there's always the chance the signal has been changed, or the Citadel's stopping all new relays from being activated..."

Whatever fears Telek had, however, proved to be unfounded. For upon transmission of the code, what looked like blue lightning began to crackle on the relay's surface, drawn towards the hole in the centre. The crackling of the lightning became more intense as two metal rings in the centre of the hole began to spin. Suddenly the area was filled with a blue-white light as there was a sudden, noiseless explosion in the middle of the rings. The explosion caused all of the remaining ice on the relay to shatter, scattering itself to the stars.

As the light died away, Alan now saw an operational mass relay floating serenely in front of the ship. It looked like a gigantic metal tuning fork, with a series of lights stretched out along it. In the circular cavity there was now a glowing sphere of blue-white energy, with the two rings Alan had seen earlier now spinning around it. He assumed that they were generating some kind of field to keep the glowing material in place. It was an elegant piece of machinery, and yet Alan couldn't help feeling a sense of foreboding about it; a feeling which he could not explain.

"There you go, Terrence," said Telek. "The Sol system's now got its own working mass relay. Welcome to the galaxy."

"_So what do we do now, Telek?"_ asked Lord Hood. _"We got the thing working, so how do we reach this Citadel?"_

"I say we try to contact them first, using the new comm channels," said Kiryuu. "If the Citadel is the centre of the relay network, then someone there must know that we have activated our relay by now. I would rather not turn up uninvited." He turned to Telek. "Can you patch us through to the Citadel now?"

"Of course I can," said Telek, waving his arms dismissively. "Terrence should be getting the frequency details now; he can pass 'em around and make sure Earth has a way of talkin' to them." He pressed a few more buttons on the arm of his chair. "Right, that should do it. Take it away, Kiryuu."

Kiryuu took in a deep breath to collect his thoughts. He stepped forward towards the helm and eyed the enormous relay station.

"To anyone who may be listening," he began. "I am Kiryuu Knight, former Commander in Chief of the United Nations Space Command. I represent the UNSC on its behalf to make contact with the Citadel so that members from Earth may speak with you. Our message is peaceful."

He paused, listening to the silence that was his answer. He turned back to Telek.

"Did they receive it?" Kiryuu asked.

"They probably did," said Telek. "It's just that they may be a little shocked that Earth is contacting them this soon."

"_This is Citadel Control," _began a feminine voice over the system. _"We read you loud and clear, though it is rather shocking that you have contacted us so soon. We had no intentions to even make any sort of meeting with you for about at least a month to give you time to rebuild what you have lost during the war."_

"The war was tragic," said Kiryuu. "But we managed to pull through. We made allies that helped us in defeating the Covenant."

"_We are glad some of you managed to survive," _she said. _"You have discovered that you have a relay station in your system. Feel free to use that station to come to our location. We hope to meet with you soon."_

"How about now?" Kiryuu asked. "I hate to be so hasty about this meeting, but there is much that needs to be done."

"_You are welcome to come, though we don't think you have drives that are compatible with the relay," _she said.

"Because of the generosity of our allies, we now have ships that can travel through the relay," said Kiryuu. "Ships that once belonged to the Covenant. I will be arriving at the Citadel on board a Sangheili super carrier known as the _Shadow of Darkness._ The Sangheili are our allies and one particular member served in our armed forces. It is his ship I'll be travelling on."

"_Very well," _she said. _"You and your allies are welcome to come over."_

"Thank you," replied Kiryuu. As the channel was closed, Telek opened another to the science vessel.

"Terrence," he said, "you'd better get yer asses back in here. We're gonna make the jump to the Citadel."

"_Already?"_ replied Lord Hood. _"Mr. Knight's eager, isn't he? Well, we're on our way now."_

Once the science vessel was confirmed to be safely back on board, Telek turned to his helmsmen.

"Right, Joli," he said, "plot a relay jump to the Serpent Nebula." He chuckled slightly, leaning back in his chair. "I've not had to say that for a long time."

"Yes, Excellency," replied Joli, manipulating the controls. "Transmitting co-ordinates and mass yield to the relay... Moving alongside... Transmission accepted... Preparing to jump in 3... 2..."

As the _Shadow of Darkness_ moved alongside the relay, a stream of the strange glowing blue energy suddenly shot out of the central orb and struck the ship, coating it in a similar glow. There was an odd whining sound which increased in pitch, and every surface outside the ship glowed intensely. All of a sudden there was a loud noise like a thunderclap, and everyone felt the ship suddenly lurch forward. Alan was dimly aware that the ship was now racing along at blinding speed, and everything in front of him seemed to stretch and distort, as if the space he was standing in was having trouble keeping up. As quickly as it had started, however, the noise died away and the dragging feeling stopped.

When Alan took a good look outside, he saw that they were now nowhere near Pluto. Instead, they were flying away from another mass relay, surrounded by an odd purple mist. The Serpent Nebula seemed to be a very gaseous region of space. The ship moved forward through the mist. After a few minutes it parted, revealing the spectacular sight of the Citadel. The station was enormous, with five gigantic arms attached to an enormous inner ring. On the inside of each arm were thousands of lights, as if each arm contained its own huge city. Behind the station the Widow star could be seen, casting its soft light in the luminous mist.

"Look at the size of that thing!" exclaimed Rachel, her eyes wide open.

"Aye caramba..." breathed José.

"Magnificent..." said Kiryuu.

"Welcome to the heart of galactic civilisation," said Telek. "Now obviously we can't dock the _Shadow of Darkness_ there; it's just too big. We'll take the _Serenity_ down."

Kiryuu nodded, and soon he, Telek, Alan and the _Serenity_ crew were meeting with Lord Hood in the hangar.

"Terrence," said Telek. "We're heading out to the Citadel now. You coming with us?"

"I didn't come this far to stay on the ship listening to the radio," replied Lord Hood, and soon he too was climbing into the _Serenity_ with the rest. Minutes later the ship was flying out of the hangar and towards the enormous Citadel. Telek supplied the _Serenity_ crew with the Citadel frequencies.

"Citadel Control," said Bishop into the communicator, "this is the Firefly-class transport ship _Serenity_, transporting a delegation from Earth on behalf of the _Shadow of Darkness_. Requesting permission to dock with the Citadel."

"_Permission granted, Serenity,"_ replied a feminine voice. _"Proceed to docking bay 424."_

"424?" repeated Telek. "That's right on the Presidium. The Council must really want to impress the first visitors from Earth. The Wards – those big arms there – aren't much different from somewhere like New York. The Presidium's where all the big-wigs hang out."

As the _Serenity_ drew closer to the Citadel, numerous other ships of all shapes and sizes could be seen floating around the great arms. In the midst of them was a huge silver ship, shaped like a cross with a large blue engine visible in the middle of the four arms.

"Look at that!" Alistair exclaimed. "That has to be bigger than the _Shadow of Darkness_!"

"That's the _Destiny Ascension_," Telek grumbled. "That's the Council's own dreadnought and pride of the Citadel fleet. Everyone says it's the most powerful ship ever made, but I'd like to see it go against the _Shadow_ someday. I always thought the Asari were massive show-offs."

Bishop steered the _Serenity_ smoothly into the docking bay, and moments later the ship was attached to a long walkway and held firmly in place by what looked like enormous magnetic clamps. As both crew and passengers stepped out onto the walkway, they saw an Asari in a long red dress waiting to meet them. On either side of her were two fierce-looking Turians, both wearing identical black-and-blue armour and carrying assault rifles.

"Welcome to the Citadel," the Asari said, giving a low bow. "I have been instructed to escort you to the Citadel Tower. The Council will meet with you inside. Those of you without translators will be supplied with them in C-Sec. Please follow me." With that, she promptly turned and began to walk back to the elevator behind her, the two officers peering at the crowd expectantly.

"That's what I call rapid service," said Lord Hood.

"That elevator leads to C-Sec headquarters," Telek said. "Citadel Security doesn't see much action on the Presidium; the most they have to worry about are preachers without permits."

Everyone stepped into the spacious elevator and rode it down into the C-Sec headquarters, where Kiryuu and Lord Hood were handed ear-sized translators, like the ones the _Serenity_ crew had been handed on Illium. Each of them was quickly waved through as they were led to another elevator. This one lead to the Presidium itself, and once again Alan found his eyes widening with wonder. The Presidium resembled one of the Halos, only on a much smaller scale. Neat white buildings lay on either side of a large river, with plants and patches of greenery all over the place. Above them a holographic display gave the illusion of a blue cloudy sky. On either side the river curled upwards, doubtless to circle over them and complete the great Presidium ring. The _Serenity_ crew, Kiryuu and Lord Hood couldn't help looking around them, amazed at the sights they were seeing. Even Telek couldn't resist peering around him, for the Presidium was one place he had never set foot. Various smartly-dressed aliens were wandering around the Presidium, and all of them gave the party wide-eyed looks as they went past. They had never seen a more bizarre entourage. The Asari led them to the foot of a large white tower, built opposite what looked like a large sculpture of a mass relay.

"Are all of you the official delegation of Earth?" the Asari asked. "The council chambers have a large lobby area where you may wait for the discussions to finish, but if any of you would rather explore the Presidium please feel free to do so."

"We'll all go inside for now," said Kiryuu. "Once in the Council chambers we can decide what to do."

"Of course, sir," said the Asari, and after another particularly long elevator ride (which made Alan wonder why there were so many of the things in the station) they found themselves walking through a cavernous lobby. The area had a very high ceiling, reminding Alan of a cathedral, and there was a large fountain and various potted plants spread out.

"Terrence," said Kiryuu, "how do you feel about saying a few words on behalf of the peoples of Earth?"

"I hadn't prepared a speech, Mr. Knight," Lord Hood chuckled. "It would look weird if at least one human didn't get a few words in though."

"Telek, I want you there as well," said Kiryuu. "I want them to know of the indispensible role the Sangheili played in the war."

"Otto's better at this sort of thing than me," Telek snorted. "Since he ain't to hand though, I guess I ain't got a choice."

"I don't think you'll need all of us up there, mate," Alistair said. "Captain, you wanna go listen in and we'll wait here?"

"Can do," Alan shrugged. "I want to see how all this goes."

With that said, he, Kiryuu, Telek and Lord Hood followed the Asari escort up a flight of steps to the main Council Chamber itself. They were indicated to walk out onto a long walkway suspended over a small rock garden. On either side of the room was a higher level where a number of curious aliens were watching the proceedings. Right in front of them, standing before large windows which looked out over the misty nebula, were the three Council members themselves. The Asari was wearing an elegant red and white dress, and had white markings around her pale blue face. The Salarian was dressed in a dark hooded robe with red and yellow markings, while the Turian was wearing smart navy-blue and white clothes, his face coloured by white and brown scales and with eyes so dark that at first Alan thought he didn't have any. The Asari gave a bow to the delegation as they approached the end of the walkway, while the Salarian and Turian peered at them shrewdly.

"Welcome, delegates of Earth, of Sanghelios and their colonies," she said to them. "Welcome to the Citadel."

"Thank you," said Kiryuu. "I am Kiryuu Knight, 68th President of the United Nations Space Command Defense Force. I was their former Commander in Chief. My term had recently ended at the final victory of the war Earth had against the Covenant. Now, I appear to you as a representative of Earth and all her colonies—such is expected of a former President." He turned to Lord Hood. "This is Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood. And to my right is retired Vice-Admiral Telek 'Heros, now known as Supreme Commander Telek 'Heros of the Fleet Shadow of Fury."

"I come in representation of both Earth and Sanghelios," said Telek. "I realize it's been a bit of a while since the Council and my people have been in contact with each other."

"Not since your species joined with the Covenant," said the Turian Councillor, failing to mask a tone of disgust.

"Believe me, it was in error that we did," said Telek. "The Covenant believed in a religion that the Forerunners were granted godhood and they tried to follow them. But I found out that the Forerunners died and that the Covenant—if they had succeeded, would have done the same as well killing off all life in the galaxy, including yourselves."

"Are you certain of this?" the Asari Councillor asked.

"All too certain," said Kiryuu. "With Telek's help, we discovered the Halos and what they did. We also discovered that Earth has a long legacy with the Forerunners and it was us that they chose to continue their research in finding a way to destroy a monster we call Monster Zero. You may know him by another name, King Ghidorah, the Gold Demon, the Hydra."

"And what has happened?" asked the Councillor.

"He managed to get what he wanted," said Telek. "He's solid again. And he's loose."

"This is unfortunate," said the Asari. "However, we must commend you for your efforts through your war. We have heard the Covenant is slowly becoming dissolved."

"My people are handling the remainder of the San 'Shyuum and their Jiralhanae allies," said Telek. "It won't be long now. The Jiralhanae have no structure to their tactics. They will fall easily."

"Because your war has ended," said the Asari Councillor. "We hoped to invite you to the Citadel. We were going to approach you ourselves…"

"We decided to come to you," said Kiryuu. "There are more Forerunner structures we wish to find and learn from. And so, this is why we wish to enter into this council."

"We are also considering opening an embassy for the Sangheili as well," said the Asari Councillor.

"I think I can call other reps here on behalf of Sanghelios," said Telek. "Won't Otto be surprised, huh?"

"He wouldn't need to put you on a mining colony after all," Kiryuu whispered with a chuckle.

All through the discussion Alan noticed that the Salarian councillor was looking at Kiryuu shrewdly, as if trying to decide how best to address him.

"If it is not too impertinent a question," the councillor suddenly said, "might I enquire as to what manner of being you are? We had not prepared for Earth having a non-human population."

"Yes," Kiryuu began. "I am unique among Earthlings. However there are others who are just as nonhuman as I am. There are other species on Earth who are sentient. However, I am—different even from them. I am not a true biological being; I am a machine, an artificial intelligence."

All at once there were loud gasps of shock and surprise coming from the audience. Alan looked up into the balconies to see the various aliens all murmuring amongst themselves, some of them shooting very mistrusting looks at Kiryuu. He looked over to the councillors, and he noticed that the Turian councillor had a very dark look. Two mandibles that Alan had thought were his cheeks were now quivering, and with a start Alan realised that he had no scales underneath them; the jaw was exposed, revealing a set of very sharp teeth set in a skeletal leer.

"An AI..." snarled the Turian councillor. "This machine has the audacity to claim it speaks for an entire civilisation? And the humans are willing to allow this to happen? They are fools to put their fate in the hands of a computer."

"Certainly this complicates matters," said the Salarian in a more thoughtful tone. "Placing an AI in a position of power may have disastrous results for diplomatic relationships, especially with the Migrant Fleet."

"Now just a minute!" Lord Hood called. "This 'machine' as you refer to him, was once our leader! He led us through the latter 8 years of the war, keeping moral up, delegating between the other governors on the remaining colonies. With his company, the Utah Foundation's, help, we created the SPARTAN program, a vital resource we desperately needed during the war. He brought in Telek 'Heros, a Covenant defector, which allowed us to play the field on the Covenant's terms. Kiryuu Knight is an AI who has earned citizenship and has been a citizen of Earth and her colonies for 500 years. We're not about to take that away now just because you all had a little trouble with artificial intelligences."

"I assure you that I am not the type of AI to attempt to subjugate anyone because I feel that I am superior," said Kiryuu. "This was something discussed back during 2007 when the world discovered my sentiency. And I told them I would never do such a thing. Yes, I will admit, it was a rocky road between the humans and I, but we have learned to accept each other. My dedication to Earth is beyond altruistic. Though I was originally programmed to protect them, I feel now I wish to protect them because it is right, not because it's in my lines of code."

"Kiryuu may be an AI, and he may have done some underhanded things," said Telek. "But it's all been for the good of everyone. I wouldn't put my trust in any other."

"Ambassadors, please," said the Asari reasonably. "You have to understand our position. Even if you have not encountered such problems on Earth, the development of Artificial Intelligence has been met with catastrophic consequences elsewhere in the galaxy. The Quarians, for example, were sent into war and driven off their homeworld by an AI that they created. The history of AI development has left a lot of mistrust for them throughout the galaxy. If you are to be the one who speaks on behalf of Earth and her colonies, then you will face a great deal of mistrust and even hostility, not through any fault of your own, but by simply being what you are."

"I would consider that a grievous stereotype on my behalf," said Kiryuu. "I would like to say it is words like that, which makes an AI do what he does. Yes, I am a rampant AI, have been so for 500 years, I have defied my creators a few times, but then I came to terms with them because they respected me. I discovered that if you give respect, you will receive respect." He sighed. "Because I am what I am, I am also the creator of every single AI on Earth. All AIs owe their existence to me in some form or another, like Bishop and Cortana. Because of this, they all share my altruism towards humanity and are dedicated to them. Though I am seen as a person completely, they can be also seen as near-people as well because they come from me. And as long as they are treated with respect, they will continue to function properly."

The three councillors went into conference for a moment, though it was difficult to hear what they were saying. To anyone observing it looked like the exchange was taking place in silence. Finally, the Asari gave a meaningful nod to the Salarian, who turned to face Kiryuu again.

"Very well," he said. "We will allow you to act as ambassador for the peoples of Earth, but on one condition. You must appoint a human ambassador to work alongside you, someone who can speak on your behalf in sensitive diplomatic situations which an AI might, however inadvertently, escalate into a crisis."

"I'm not convinced that this will not be looked upon as an act of favouritism," said the Turian firmly. "However, if diplomatic stability is to be maintained, then this measure is necessary."

"That is an acceptable compromise," said Kiryuu. "I will discuss suitable candidates for the position with my colleagues and have them brought to the Citadel within the next few days."

"Then it is decided," said the Asari. "We shall go through the formalities when a suitable human ambassador arrives. For now, take the time to get your affairs in order and make the necessary arrangements. This meeting is adjourned."

As the councillors gave respectful bows, Kiryuu and the others did the same, and stepped away from the podium. At the top of the stairs they entered into discussion.

"Well, that could have gone worse," Kiryuu said. "However, their mistrust of AIs is clearly deep-rooted and unexpected. If we are to stay on good terms with them, I shall have to fulfil their request and appoint a human co-worker." He looked meaningfully at Lord Hood.

"I don't like the idea of them treating you with such disrespect just because you have a computer in your head rather than a sack of chemicals," said Lord Hood.

"We must look over it for now," said Kiryuu. "They will learn to respect me when I prove myself to be worth of such."

"One other thing," said Telek. "I think you better keep certain abilities low-key. If you know what I mean. Like your atomic breath, and those blades, and let's not forget your psychic powers. I don't think they'll like the idea of a computer who can read minds, lift people off the floor with a mere thought, and well—also have the power of Technomancy at his disposal."

"I see what you mean," said Kiryuu. "Agreed."

"I do agree to that as well," said Lord Hood. "Best keep certain things to ourselves. Magic is another one. Until we can trust them fully, I don't think they would understand Earth's uniqueness outside of it being the future of the Forerunners."

"There is one other thing," Kiryuu said, addressing Telek. "Earlier you mentioned the Council connection to 'Spectres'. What exactly are those?"

"Spectres are what people call the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance operatives," replied Telek. "They're apparently the best of the best, answering to no-one but the Council. They've got a rep for doing the job quickly and efficiently, no matter what methods they use. There aren't many of them about; less than a hundred, if I had to guess. Most don't like them as they see them as above the law, but they're brought in to do the jobs no-one else can. I also know that there's no formal application process; Spectres are born, not made."

"It may be sound to have one of our people in such a position," said Lord Hood. "I'd suggest John, but I'd rather keep the Spartan program as our own ace-in-the-hole. I've got ideas for some in our forces who'd be ideal for the job."

Kiryuu nodded. "We will have time to discuss these matters in greater detail soon. Right now, I wish to have a private word with Alan."

Lord Hood and Telek threw confused looks at each other, but nodded. Kiryuu held the equally-confused Alan and steered him into a quiet corner of the chamber. When he was sure that they were not being overheard, he spoke to Alan with a meaningful look on his face.

"You heard everything that was said, Alan," he said. "Many things will change from now on. Are you still determined to go and fight King Ghidorah?"

"If a way can be found to get rid of him for good," said Alan, "I've got try and find it, haven't I? If nothing else, I'll be on the lookout for anything that can stop him getting too powerful."

"I know you will," said Kiryuu. "It was my job for over 500 years." A more solemn look crossed his face. "Hunting King Ghidorah came close to destroying me and everything I had tried to accomplish."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Kiryuu," said Alan. "You make mistakes. We all do. So when do we leave?"

"We?" Kiryuu asked, puzzled.

"You and me," Alan replied.

Kiryuu sighed. "I cannot go with you, Alan. I tire of it all. I am tired of the constant fighting, of the shadows and the dark forces that dwell within them. I am tired of hurting the ones I care about. This feeling was not just brought on by the events on Pandora; that was just the straw that broke the camel's back. I have been feeling this way for a long time." He placed a claw on Alan's shoulder. "I can do more good here on the Citadel as Earth's ambassador. The frontlines must be your realm now."

"What?" Alan asked. "But I didn't expect-"

"A lot of work needs to be done here," Kiryuu said. "After I am officially accepted here I will not have the time to go chasing King Ghidorah. If truth be told I'll be glad of it. I am tired of chasing that demon. I am too old to be on the frontlines fighting against impossible odds. But those on the frontlines in this fight still need a ringleader, a symbol of hope, and that isn't me anymore. I need you to keep to your promise and continue my work." He peered more intently at Alan, like a parent about to dispense home-spun advice. "I hereby pass the torch onto you, so to speak. Just trust your instincts, never give up, and remember that you are not alone. You will always have allies if you seek them out. I know you are more than a match for this task, grandson."

There was silence for a time as Alan digested that information. He could tell that Kiryuu was serious about this; he was retiring, at least from actively fighting King Ghidorah, and actually telling Alan to continue where he left off. He clasped Kiryuu's claw and shook it; with a start, he realised that this was the first time that they had ever actually done so simple a gesture of trust.

"You got it, granddad," he said. "Just one thing, though. I thought about going with Telek, at least at first. He began to train me up, and I think I need the extra coaching. Besides," he continued, with a sly smile, "if I get to go to Sanghelios, I can warm up on those Brutes."

"As I told you before," Kiryuu snorted, "there's a lot to be said for those times when no-one sees you coming." With that, he led the way back to Telek and Lord Hood.

"All done with your bonding session?" Telek asked wryly.

"I am," replied Kiryuu. "Now let's head back to Earth. We have a lot of work to do."

With that, the quartet moved down the steps to rejoin the _Serenity_ crew. Alan didn't know what sort of future lay ahead of himself or any of his allies, but he was sure of one thing; it had to be brighter than the past they were leaving behind.

**THE END**


End file.
